Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 5, is primary day in New Jersey. Verona voters will get to make choices for the 11th district House of Representatives seat that has been held by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen for more than two decades, as well as Senate and County races. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and you can find your polling place here.
The House seat is the most contested race. There are five people vying to be the Democratic candidate and another five seeking to be the Republican candidate. The Democrats running are, in alphabetical order, Mitchell Cobert, Tamara Harris, Alison Heslin, Mikie Sherrill and Mark Washburne. The Republicans are Patrick Allocco, Peter De Neufville, Antony Ghee, Martin Hewitt and Jay Webber.
There was a bit of drama among the Republican candidates on Friday, when Ghee claimed that De Neufville had offered him a government position if he dropped out of the race and endorsed De Neufville. The De Neufville camp said the accusation distorted a meeting the two had had.
If you are an unaffiliated voter and wish to vote Republican or Democrat in the primary you need only declare your choice at your polling place. Registered Democrats and Republicans cannot change registration at the polls or vote for the other party in a primary.
If you missed the date to register for the primaries, or weren’t yet eligible, October 16 is the general election voter registration deadline. Use this form. To register to vote in New Jersey you must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old by the next election and a resident of your home county for 30 days before the election. You may register to vote if you are at least 17, but you can’t actually vote until you turn 18. For more information, visit Elections.NJ.gov or call 1-877-NJVOTER (1-877-658-6837).
