Election Day: What You Need to Know

Wednesday, voters all across the state will select school board members and decide on whether to accept proposed tax levies to support their local school districts.

Where to Go

Here's a breakdown of Barnegat's polling places, provided by the township. Polls are open from 3 to 9 p.m. If you're still not sure of where to cast your vote, visit the county's polling place search page and plug in your address.

This list is also available on the township website here.

• District #1: Barnegat High School, Bengal Boulevard. All voters who live East of Route 9 to Barnegat Bay and North of East Bay Avenue.
• District #2: Court Room, 900 W. Bay Ave. South of East Bay Avenue, Holly Oaks, Oak Hill Homes
• District #3: Community Center, 900 W. Bay Ave., behind town hall. All voters who live west of Barnegat Boulevard, south of Ravenwood Boulevard, east of Deer Run Drive South. 
• District #4: Lillian M. Dunfee School, 128 Barnegat Blvd. Part of Settlers Landing.
• District #5: Brighton at Barnegat Clubhouse, Brighton Road and Route 72. All voters in Brighton at Barnegat, Pinewood Estates, and off of Route 72.
• District #6: Lillian M. Dunfee School, 128 Barnegat Blvd. All voters South of West Bay Avenue, West of Gunning River Road.
• District #7: Community Center, 900 W. Bay Ave., behind town hall. All voters in Ocean Acres, Heritage Point South, Horizons, the Windward development and Pine Ridge
• District #8: Mirage Clubhouse, 1 Esplanade Drive. Voters in Four Seasons at Mirage.
• District #9: Pheasant Run Clubhouse, 219 Pine Oak Blvd. All voters in Pheasant Run, Horizons, Heritage Point North.
• District #10: Heritage Bay Club House, 100 Sandpiper Road. All voters in Heritage Bay.
• District #11: Barnegat High School, Bengal Boulevard. All voters in  Brookville Manor, Burr Street, Atlantic Heights Apartments, Rose Hill Road and Rosehill Manor.
• District #12: Mirage Club House. Voters in Mirage.

What's at Stake

Barnegat residents are voting to fill three contested seats on the board of education. Incumbents and and appointee are running to keep their seats. Challenging them are , and . 

Also up for a vote is the current Board of Education's – the same amount as last year.

Whether the average tax bill will be the same for Barnegat residents as it was last year remains to be seen; unlike most others around the state, Barnegat's Board of Education declined to estimate a schools tax rate, which is used along with a homeowner's property value to calculate residents' individual bills.

The job of determining the rate falls to the township, the board explained, and a firm number won't be available until the municipal budget is complete. 

An estimated school tax rate provided by the Department of Education for the coming fiscal year stands at $1.050 per $100 of assessed value – that’s up from the previous rate of $1.001 per $100. For a home assessed at the township's 2010 average value of $297,351, that would mean a school tax of $3,122.19. The owner of the same property would have paid $2,976.48 last year, based on the 2010 rate – a difference of $145.71, or just under 5 percent.

That DOE estimate is rarely right on the money, though, according to district officials.

What is certain is that the township's ratable base took a hit after a 2010 reassessment of property values; Barnegat is simply less valuable in terms of property than it was last year. In general, that means everyone's tax burden will go up.

If a majority of voters turn down the budget, it goes to the Township Committee for review and further cuts. According to the New Jersey School Boards Association, less than 42 percent of district budgets passed in 2010. Barnegat's was one of the ones that failed, by a margin of only about 200 votes, according to the county clerk.