How NJ-12's unaffiliated voters can vote in Tuesday's Democratic primary

If you're registered to vote in New Jersey but not affiliated with a party, you can still vote in Tuesday's Democratic primary. Here's how.

What to do on Election Day

When you arrive at your polling place on Tuesday, June 2, simply ask for a Democratic ballot. The poll workers will provide it, you'll vote like any registered Democrat, and your vote will count the same.

That's it. No paperwork, no advance notice required.

Find your polling place: voter.svrs.nj.gov/polling-place-search

Why this matters

In recent Gallup surveys, 49% of Americans say they don't affiliate with either party. That's not apathy — it's frustration with a system where two parties dominate every choice voters are given.

NJ-12's unaffiliated voters are a huge bloc. In a primary that may be decided by a few hundred votes, every Unaffiliated voter who shows up Tuesday changes the math.

Why I'm running

I'm Sam Wang — a neuroscientist at Princeton and a longtime democracy reformer. I've spent decades working on what's broken in American politics: gerrymandering, the corrupt county line in New Jersey, the role of money, the way the two-party system locks voters into bad choices.

I've laid out a lot of this thinking in my TED Talk on using math to repair democracy — from detecting gerrymandered districts to modeling how alternatives like ranked-choice voting would change outcomes. The tools to fix this exist. What's missing is the political will in Washington.

I'm running for Congress because the people there who could fix these problems haven't. The same career politicians who built this system aren't going to take it apart.

If you're tired of choosing between bad options, this primary is a chance to vote for something different.

Endorsed by the people who've been fighting for reform

Some of the country's most prominent voices on democracy reform have endorsed this campaign — not because of party loyalty, but because they've spent their careers studying what's broken in American politics and they recognize a campaign serious about fixing it.

• Andrew Yang — former presidential candidate (read about his endorsement)

• The Forward Party — the national organization pushing for structural reform of American elections (read about their endorsement →)

• Lawrence Lessig — Harvard law professor and one of the country's foremost scholars on money in politics

• Equal Citizens — the democracy-reform organization Lessig founded

You don't have to be a Democrat to care about fixing this system. These endorsers don't agree on every issue, but they agree on the bigger question: American democracy needs people in Congress who actually understand how it works — and how to make it work better.

How to help

If you can vote Tuesday: show up at your polling place. If you're Unaffiliated, ask for the Democratic ballot.

If you want to do more: with a few hundred votes likely to decide this race, every dollar we raise in the next 48 hours goes directly to reaching more NJ-12 voters before Tuesday.

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Chip in to help us reach every voter before Tuesday

The Forward Party Endorses Sam Wang for Congress

With 48 hours to go, the national party founded by Andrew Yang formally backs Sam in NJ-12.

The Forward Party has endorsed Sam Wang for Congress in New Jersey's 12th District.

This is the national organization weighing in — building on Andrew Yang's personal endorsement back in March, when he called Sam "my favorite candidate for Congress."

"We share a vision in which Congress works for the people, in which we end gerrymandering," Sam said in his acceptance. "I'm running to save health and democracy for everyone."

Why would a third party endorse a Democratic primary candidate?

Fair question. The answer is Sam's record.

As founder of the Princeton Gerrymandering Project, Sam has spent two decades exposing rigged maps. He was central to ending New Jersey's county-line ballot system — the structural reform that finally gave NJ voters a real choice rather than party-boss-picked candidates. Forward's mission is to make Congress work for people instead of parties. That's the work Sam has been doing his entire career.

Unaffiliated voters: you can also vote in Tuesday's Democratic primary.

NJ-12's June 2 Democratic primary will decide this seat. If you're registered unaffiliated, you can declare a party at the polls and vote. Find your polling location→

20,000 votes can win this. All gas, no brakes.

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Chip in to help us reach every voter before Tuesday

Help Slay the Gerrymander: A Zoom Conversation with Dave Daley & Sam Wang

The Supreme Court has gutted what was left of the Voting Rights Act. Republican legislatures in Tennessee, Louisiana, Florida, and Alabama are already redrawing congressional maps mid-decade, with more states on the way. It's happening faster than anyone expected, and the consequences for minority representation, competitive elections, and the basic premise of one person, one vote are severe.

Sam sat down with Dave Daley—author of Ratf**ked and Unrigged, and one of the country's foremost chroniclers of gerrymandering—for a live Zoom conversation about the unprecedented wave of mid-decade redistricting and what Congress can do to stop it.

"My first order of business is to fix this bug in democracy once and for all. In addition to my work at the Princeton Gerrymandering Project, I have Capitol Hill experience as legislative staff for Senator Edward M. Kennedy. I know how to translate our collective anger into practical action." Sam Wang

Sam founded the Princeton Gerrymandering Project and has spent decades fighting rigged maps across the country. Dave Daley's reporting helped expose how Republicans engineered a generational advantage through REDMAP and the post-2010 gerrymander, and he's been one of the clearest voices on what's coming next. In this conversation, they cover where we are, what's at stake, and how we fight back.

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Help us slay the gerrymander

"My Favorite Candidate for Congress": Andrew Yang Endorses Sam

It happened on a New York City sidewalk, no press conference required.

Former presidential candidate, two-time mayoral candidate, and longtime democracy reformer Andrew Yang pulled out his phone, put his arm around Sam, and made it official:

"My favorite candidate for Congress in New Jersey's 12th District."

Andrew didn't just endorse. He asked New Jersey voters to mark their ballots for Sam on Tuesday, June 2nd — and noted that mail ballots are arriving in mailboxes right now. Then he put his own money and time on the line:

"I've donated, I'm volunteering, and let's get this man to Congress."

Sam, in his own words, took the moment to lay out what he's running on: a democracy scientist who wants to restore the Constitution, save public health, and protect immigrants. Or, as he put it, "a scientist fighting for your democracy and mine."

Andrew and Sam have known each other for years through their shared work on electoral reform — open primaries, ranked-choice voting, and ending the gerrymandered maps that lock voters out of real representation. When two reformers agree the system is broken and one steps up to fix it from inside Congress, it's worth paying attention.

Sam recently joined Andrew on the Andrew Yang Podcast for a 36-minute conversation about fixing American democracy — including why this 13-way primary for an open seat is winnable with as few as 20,000 votes. Listen to the full episode →

"In a district of 770,000 people, our estimate is that as few as 20,000 votes could be enough to win this primary."— Sam Wang, on the Andrew Yang Podcast

20,000 votes. That's the number. That's why every dollar raised, every door knocked, and every neighbor told matters between now and June 2nd.

Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang stopped Sam on the streets of New York to give his official endorsement and ask New Jersey to send Sam to Congress.

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Join Andrew. Help us reach 20,000.

Not ready to donate? Join our team →

Nobel Laureates and Leading Scientists Endorse Sam Wang for Congress

PRINCETON, NJ -  Nobel laureates, National Medal of Science recipients, and leading researchers across New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District are endorsing Princeton neuroscientist Sam Wang for Congress, warning that federal attacks on science, public health, and research funding threaten America’s future.

The endorsers include scientists from Princeton University, Rutgers University, The College of New Jersey, and the Institute for Advanced Study, including former Princeton University president Shirley M. Tilghman and Nobel laureate John Hopfield, a founder of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

“The Nobel laureates include winners in physics, chemistry, and physiology or medicine,” said Dr. Sam Wang. “There are also two winners of the National Medal of Science, the highest scientific honor given by the United States, as well as multiple members of the National Academy of Sciences and leaders in education throughout central New Jersey.”

“These people have played a foundational role in machine learning, artificial intelligence, unlocking secrets of the universe, biology, and medicine,” Wang added.

In their endorsement, the scientists warned that the administration’s attacks on research funding and public health institutions are jeopardizing America’s global leadership in science.

“American science has produced countless benefits and jobs for our society,” the group wrote. “Yet the administration is systematically attacking science, life-saving medical research, and democracy itself. Congress needs representatives who will fight to preserve science. We enthusiastically endorse Sam Wang.”

Wang said the stakes of the election are about more than politics—they are about whether the United States continues to invest in the discoveries that improve everyday life.

“Science and technology have always benefited from fundamental advances made in New Jersey,” Wang said. “Those advances include the lightbulb, the transistor, the laser, advances in cancer treatment, and artificial intelligence.”

“These advances have made life better and easier for hundreds of millions of Americans.”

Wang, who founded the Princeton Gerrymandering Project and helped challenge rigged electoral maps across the country, said Congress must defend both democratic institutions and the scientific enterprise.

“If we undermine science and drive talent away, other countries will lead the next century of discovery,” Wang said. “We should be strengthening the innovation ecosystem that built America’s prosperity—not tearing it down.”

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Help defend science and democracy!

Not ready to donate? Join our team →

Sam Wang Discusses Florida Redistricting

News4JAX’s Politics & Power featured a substantive interview with Sam Wang on Florida’s mid-decade redistricting fight and its implications for control of the U.S. House. In the segment, Morning Show anchor Bruce Hamilton spoke with Wang about how aggressive redistricting could reshape representation in 2026.

Watch the full interview on YouTube.

The Transmitter Profiles Sam Wang

The Transmitter profiled neuroscientist Sam Wang’s run for Congress, highlighting his long-standing work on democracy and redistricting. The piece looks at how his research and public advocacy shaped his decision to enter the race.

Read the full article at The Transmitter.

Why I’m Running for Congress

In a guest contribution to The Daily Princetonian, Sam Wang lays out the reasons behind his campaign, including restoring the rule of law, fighting gerrymandering, defending higher education, and pursuing broader democratic reform.

Read the full piece at The Daily Princetonian.

Lawrence Lessig Endorses Sam Wang

Lawrence Lessig, a prominent legal scholar and democracy reform advocate, endorsed Sam Wang in a series of public posts, praising his work on anti-gerrymandering reform and evidence-based public service.

View Lessig’s endorsement on X.

Sam Wang Launches Campaign

Sam Wang announced his campaign for New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District in a Substack post outlining why he is running and the democracy reforms he hopes to advance. The post also invited readers to join a Reddit AMA on February 5.

Read more on Substack