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New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle Commission is adding more Real ID appointments to keep up with the demand ahead of the May 7 deadline. 

All U.S. travelers will soon be required to have a Real ID for domestic flights, or use their passport as identification. As the deadline approaches, New Jersey residents have reported difficulty scheduling appointments statewide. 

“Over the last few months, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in demand for REAL ID from our customers, and we’ve repeatedly added and reallocated appointments to better meet that demand,” Acting NJMVC Chief Administrator Latrecia Littles-Floyd said in a statement Tuesday. “The new initiative announced today will expand access further, helping to service more customers who need or want to get a REAL ID.”  

Starting on March 20, the MVC will add nearly 4,500 new appointments for “REAL ID Thursdays,” including license renewal and non-renewal appointments. Residents can sign up for those appointments on the MVC website starting on March 14. 

The MVC will also host a series of mobile unit events on Saturdays, where people can also renew or sign up for a Real ID. Those events are scheduled to start April 5.

An MVC spokesperson previously told CBS News New York about 3,000 new Real ID appointments are added every day at 7 a.m.  

How to get a Real ID

Those who already have a New Jersey driver’s license need to go online to book an appointment at an MVC location to upgrade to a Real ID. Anyone due for a license renewal is strongly urged to consider upgrading to a Real ID at their license renewal appointment.

If your license is expiring within three months, you can get a Real ID at a license renewal appointment. If your license expiration date is more than three months away, you’ll need to book a Real ID non-renewal appointment.

If you do not already have a New Jersey driver’s license, you can get a Real ID at a non-driver ID appointment. Residents who just moved to New Jersey can get a Real ID at an out-of-state transfer appointment, and new drivers can get a Real ID at a walk-in transaction after passing their road test. 

Residents will need two proofs of residential address, one verifiable Social Security number and identity documents that add up to 6 Real ID points. CLICK HERE for more Frequently Asked Questions.

Nick Caloway

contributed to this report.

A poll of New Jersey Democrats showed Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, and Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) as the gubernatorial candidates with the highest net favorability ratings, but with Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly) with higher favorables than Sherrill.  

Wednesday’s Fairleigh Dickinson University poll of 572 Democrats shows “clear lanes” forming in the gubernatorial primary, according to the release. The results show Baraka with the strongest performances among the state’s progressives, while Sherrill performed stronger among the party’s moderates.

The poll did not ask respondents who they would vote for; questions were limited to name ID and favorability. Baraka is currently edging out the competition among voters on the left of the Democratic Party,” said Dan Cassino, the executive director of the FDU poll. “If the primary electorate skews left, that’s a big advantage; if the electorate looks more like the Democratic Party as a whole, it looks better for Sherrill.”

Baraka led candidates with a +31% net favorable rating (43% favorable-12% unfavorable). Fulop was next at +26% (32%-7%), and Sherrill was right behind at +25% (31%-6%). Behind them, Gottheimer enjoyed a +17 net favorability rating (27%-10%), New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller received a +8% net rating (22%-13%), and former Senate President Steve Sweeney received a -1% net favorability rating (23%-24%).

The survey found Baraka and Sweeney led the Democrats in name recognition. Among Democrats, 78% said they recognized Baraka and 73% said they knew who Sweeney was. Those numbers were 62% for Fulop, 61% for Gottheimer, and 56% for Sherrill and Spiller.

In the trio of Baraka, Sherrill, and Fulop, the Newark mayor’s unfavorable ratings were higher, at 12%. Fulop’s unfavorables sat at 7%, and 6% said they found Sherrill unfavorable.

“Lower name recognition means that Fulop and Sherrill have more room to grow their support than Baraka does,” said Cassino. “More Democrats have made up their minds about Baraka, and double-digit unfavorable numbers among your own party are a bad sign for anyone.”

Baraka held an advantage with respondents of color. More than six in ten Black respondents (63%)  said they had a favorable view of Baraka; the next-highest were Fulop and Spiller with 19%.

Among Hispanic respondents, 40% said they held a favorable opinion of the Newark mayor. The next closest was Fulop with 26%.

“We don’t know what the voters who actually turn out in this primary are going to look like,” Cassino said. “If it’s more Black and Hispanic, Baraka has a clear advantage; if it skews more white, Sherrill is in a very good position.”

The poll found Democrats rated Spiller differently depending on whether the pollster described him as “President of the NJEA” or “Democratic former Mayor of Montclair.”

When referred to as a Montclair mayor, his ratings came in at 20% favorable and 10% unfavorable. When described as the NJEA’s president, his ratings were 23% favorable and 16% unfavorable.

A PAC connected to the NJEA said in filings it expected to spend about $35 million promoting Spiller’s candidacy in the primary.

“One of Spiller’s biggest advantages in this race – his connection to the NJEA – also looks like something of a liability among voters,” Cassino said.

Baraka is leading in favorables with the party’s left-wing voters, but the net favorables for progressives show a tight race. Among progressives, Baraka had a +35% net favorability, Fulop was +38%, and Sherrill was +34%. The other three—Gottheimer (+12%), Spiller (+11%), and Sweeney (+0%)— were further behind with progressives.

The Fairleigh Dickinson University poll conducted by Braun Research of 1,476 registered voters between Feb. 23 and Feb. 28 with a margin of error of +/- 3.8%. The poll used a subsample of 572 Democrats for questions about the Democratic gubernatorial primary.