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New Jersey county government

In New Jersey, a Board of County Commissioners (until 2020 named the Board of Chosen Freeholders) is the elected county wide government board in each of the state's 21 counties. In the five counties that have an elected county executive, the board of county commissioners serves as the county legislature. In the remaining counties, the board of county commissioners exercises both executive and legislative functions, often with an appointed county administrator or manager overseeing the day to day operations of county government. as of 2024, 18 of the 21 county commissions are held exclusively by one party; Atlantic, Gloucester, and Passaic counties are the only ones with both parties represented. Since 2000, 12 counties have only elected members from a single party; Camden, Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, and Union counties have chosen only Democrats, and Cape May, Hunterdon, Morris, Ocean, Sussex, and Warren counties have chosen only Republicans.

Current state law specifies that the boards may contain from three to nine seats. Due to the small sizes of the boards and the possibility of electing an exactly split legislature with the inevitably resulting deadlock, an odd numbered board is required under the same law. The means of election of the county commissioners vary, from all elected in districts, to all elected at large, to various systems in between. Elections are first past the post for single member districts, as well as at large elections when only one seat is at stake. For at large elections with more than one seat, plurality at large voting is officially used. Depending on the county, the executive and legislative functions may be performed by the board, or split between commissioners and other county officials. In some counties, members of the board of county commissioner perform both legislative and executive functions on a commission basis, with each county commissioner assigned responsibility for a department or group of departments. In other counties (Atlantic, Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Mercer), there is a directly elected county executive who performs the executive functions while the board of county commissioner retains a legislative and oversight role. In counties without an executive, a county administrator (or county manager) may be hired to perform the day to day administration of county functions. All of the above attributes may be changed by act of the board, and referendum, or explicit change of the relevant laws by the New Jersey Legislature.

The term "freeholder," which is used in no other state, has been criticized as a vestige of a time when only property owners could be elected, which led to white men controlling political power at a time when women and black people were unable to own property on their own. In early July 2020, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy reached an agreement with Democratic leaders in both state legislative chambers under which the term "freeholder" would be eliminated and replaced with "county commissioner". On July 14, 2020, Burlington County Freeholder Director Felicia Hopson called for "eliminating an antiquated title from an era when slavery and racism was tolerated" and announced plans for Burlington County to stop using the "freeholder" title on official communications and materials. The board planned to replace the title with "county commissioner" by passing a resolution at its August 20 meeting. On August 21, 2020, "amid a national reckoning to reexamine vestiges of structural racism," Governor Murphy signed Senate Bill 855, which changed the name of county governing bodies and mandates updates to website, letterhead, stationary, and other writings. Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, an African American woman who was once a freeholder herself, said that the term "refers to a time when only white male landowners could hold public office." The legislation took effect on January 1, 2021, and requires compliance within "one year of the bill’s effective date" or January 1, 2022.

All county commissioners are elected to three year terms, while the Atlantic/Bergen/Essex/Hudson/Mercer County Executives are elected to four year terms,. County No. of members Election frequency Representation Notes References Atlantic9Staggered electionsFive county commissioners represent equally populated districts, four are elected at large; three seats per three year cyclePopularly elected Atlantic County Executive, every four years; currently Republican Dennis Levinson Bergen7Staggered electionsElected at large; generally two or three seats per three year cyclePopularly elected Bergen County Executive, every four years; currently Democrat Jim Tedesco Burlington5Staggered electionsElected at large; generally one or two seats per three year cycleCounty commissioner director is elected annually by the board from among its members Camden7Staggered electionsElected at large; generally two or three seats per three year cycle Cape May5Staggered electionsElected at large; generally one or two seats per three year cycleCounty commissioner director and county commissioner deputy director elected from board at annual reorganization meeting in January Cumberland7Staggered electionsElected at large; generally two or three seats per three year cycleCounty commissioner director and county commissioner deputy director elected from board at annual reorganization meeting in January; appointed county administrator Essex9Concurrent electionsFive county commissioners represent equally populated districts, four are elected at large; all nine individual terms end every three yearsCounty commissioner president and vice president serve one year terms; popularly elected Essex County Executive, every four years; currently Democrat Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. Gloucester7Staggered electionsElected at large; generally two or three seats per three year cycleCounty commissioner director and county commissioner deputy director Hudson9Concurrent electionsNine County Commissioners represent equally populated districts; all nine individual terms end every three yearsPopularly elected Hudson County Executive, every four years; currently Democrat Craig Guy. Hunterdon5Staggered electionsElected at large; generally one or two seats per three year cycleCounty commissioner director and county commissioner deputy director elected from board at annual reorganization meeting in January Mercer7Staggered electionsElected at large; generally two or three seats per three year cycleBoard has a chair and vice chair, these positions are rotated among board members each year; popularly elected Mercer County Executive, every four years; currently Democrat Daniel R. Benson. Middlesex7Staggered electionsElected at large; generally two or three seats per three year cycleIn January of each year, the board reorganizes, selecting one county commissioner to be commissioner director and another to be county commissioner deputy director; county commissioner director appoints county commissioner to serve as chairpersons and members on the various committees which oversee county departments Monmouth5Staggered electionsElected at large; generally one or two seats per three year cycleCounty Commissioner Director and county commissioner deputy director elected from board at annual reorganization meeting in January Morris7Staggered electionsElected at large; generally two or three seats per three year cycleCounty commissioner director and county commissioner deputy director elected from board at annual reorganization meeting in January Ocean5Staggered electionsElected at large; generally one or two seats per three year cycleAppointed county administrator Passaic7Staggered electionsElected at large; generally two or three seats per three year cycleCounty commissioner director and county commissioner deputy director elected from board at annual reorganization meeting in January Salem5Staggered electionsElected at large; generally one or two seats per three year cycleIn January of each year, the board reorganizes, selecting one county commissioner to be county commissioner director and another to be county commissioner deputy director; eliminated county administrator position at its 2014 reorganization meeting Somerset5Staggered electionsElected at large; generally one or two seats per three year cycleAppointed county administrator Sussex5Staggered electionsElected at large; generally one or two seats per three year cycle Union9Staggered electionsElected at large; three seats per three year cycleAppointed county manager Warren3Staggered electionsElected at large; one seat per three year cycleCounty commissioner director and county commissioner deputy director elected from board at annual reorganization meeting in January; appointed county administrator