Lakewood Voter Guide 2020: What You Need To Know

Karen Wall
·3 min read

LAKEWOOD, NJ — Although the 2020 General Election is slated to be conducted primarily by mail and polling places have been reduced due to the coronavirus pandemic, there are still several options to make sure your vote is counted.

In Lakewood that includes using a secure drop box, mailing your ballot back, hand-delivering it to the Ocean County Board of Elections, or hand-delivering your ballot to your polling place, or voting by provisional ballot at your polling location.

The Rundown

  • Election date: Nov. 3

  • Where can I drop off my ballot? Ocean County Ballot Drop-Box Locations 2020

  • Mailing it? Ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by the Board of Elections by Nov. 10

  • Where can I vote in person? A limited number of in-person polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. ADA-compliant machines will be available for those with disabilities that prevent them from voting on paper ballots. All other voters will be given a provisional ballot. Find your polling location.

  • Track my mail-in ballot.

What And Who Are On The Ballot?

In Lakewood there are seats up for election on the Township Committee and the Board of Education.

There are two, three-year terms contested on the Township Committee. Republicans Michael D’Elia and Hector Fuentes and Democrats Ray Coles and Mordy Gross are seeking the seats. Coles, who is the mayor, is seeking re-election. D'Elia also is seeking re-election.

The Board of Education has three, three-year terms and there are three candidates seeking the seats: Ada Gonzalez, Bentzion Treisser, and Moshe R. Raitzik.

A limited number of polling places will be open on Nov. 3, the same day that mail-in ballots must be postmarked in order to be counted. Read more: NJ 2020 Election Guide: How To Vote, Who's On The Ballot

Here's a quick rundown of the choices that voters will be asked to make on a national, state and county level:

  • Presidential race: Residents can either cast a write-in vote or choose, among the major parties, between Republican President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, or Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris. Also running are: Don Blankenship/William Mohr (Constitution Party); Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (Green); Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (Libertarian); Gloria La Riva/Sunil Freeman (Party for Socialism and Liberation); Roque De La Fuente/Darcy Richardson (The Alliance Party) and Bill Hammons/Eric Bodenstab (Unity Party).

  • U.S. Senate: One U.S. Senate seat will be contested: Incumbent Democrat Cory Booker will face several Republican, Green Party and independent challengers.

  • U.S. House of Representatives: All 12 House seats in New Jersey are up for election, including the Fourth District, where Manchester falls. The Fourth District race pits Republican Chris Smith, who has held the seat since 1981, against Democrat Stephanie Schmid. The two squared off in a debate Oct. 19. Read more here.

  • Ocean County: There is one four-year term on the Board of Freeholders up for election. Incumbent Republican Joseph Vicari is being challenged by Democrat Helen Dela Cruz and by Libertarian Party candidate Dan Valentine. The County Clerk's race features Republican Scott Colabella vs. Democrat Kathy M. Russell.

  • Marijuana legalization/Ballot questions: Voters will decide whether to legalize the possession and use of marijuana. Voters will also decide whether to makes peacetime veterans eligible to receive the veterans' property tax deduction.

For more coverage of the 2020 election in New Jersey, go here.

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This article originally appeared on the Lakewood Patch