Quiet Start on Primary Election Day
With few contested races, poll workers in Liberty Corner say the crowd has been light — but the November election looms as a much busier day.
Township resident Vance Hodnett, helping to man the polls on Tuesday's primary election day at the voting location for districts 12 and 14 at the Liberty Corner Firehouse, said one would-be voter was outside waiting for the polls to open at 6 a.m. this morning.
"He was four minutes early," Hodnett said. He added, with a smile, that poll workers had to hold the man off until voting officially began on election day, June 5. As for the voter so dedicated to performing his civic duty, "He had a train to catch," Hodnett said.
But by about 8 a.m., there was one voter in the firehouse, who then left — at least for a few minutes — a polling location that was empty except for poll workers.
Polls will remain open until 8 p.m. on Tuesday night for the election in which registered voters can select their choice for their party's nomination of candidates for positions running from local elected officials through a contested Republican race for U.S. Congress, district 7 between incumbent Leonard Lance and challenger David Larsen.
Vance and Joyce Anthony-Huff, another repeat poll worker in Liberty Corner, said they are expecting the most voters to show up after school lets out, and into the early evening hours — approximately 3 to 7 p.m.
Presidential election coupled with first November school election
But they said they expect things really to get busy in November, when the upcoming presidential election will be held during the first school board election to be held in November. The Board of Education voted earlier this year to move school elections to become part of the November elections, when voters will be voting only on board candidates and not any budget in which the annual increase is kept to 2 percent or less.
Polling locations for this Tuesday's election are available on Patch.
Voters also can find their voting district and polling location by consulting the front of the sample ballot mailed to township voters. For further questions, voters can contact the Municipal Clerk's office at 908-204-3001.
The ballot will include Republicans and Democrats seeking their party's nomination for delegates to the National Convention to select a presidential candidate; United States Senator; U.S. House of Representative, 7th district; county clerk; two seats on the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders; two seats on the Bernards Township Committee; and Republican county committee members.
Primary races for Bernards Township Committee and Somerset County Freeholder positions are unopposed for their parties' nominations.
Republicans on the ballot for two, three-year seats on the Township Commitee are incumbents Carolyn Gaziano and John Malay; Democrat Michael J. Komondy is the sole Democrat filed as a candidate seeking one of the two positions.
Whether voting for an incumbent or not, Bernards Township voters, and those in Long Hill Township, would be selecting a new representative for U.S. Congressional representative. As a result of the 2010 census, and also redistricting, those towns have been moved from the 11th to the 7th congressional district within New Jersey.
Democratic candidate for 7th district, Upendra J. Chivukula, is unopposed in seeking his party's nomination.