Voters Reject Political Signs On Public Property In Barnegat

BARNEGAT, NJ — Barnegat voters were faced with a referendum question on their ballots regarding allowing election signs in public areas.

The question asked, "Should the Township of Barnegat adopt regulations prohibiting the placement of signs on public property and within the public right-of-way within the Township?"

Overwhelmingly, voters said yes, with 5,429 votes to 2,342 no votes.

Find election results for Barnegat-Manahawkin here.

So, what does this mean for the people of Barnegat?

When the Township Committee decided to put the question on the ballot, they said it would be a non-binding referendum. That is, the township just wanted to get a feel for what residents wanted, and would construct a resolution after the fact. This does not mean that election signs are immediately banned; rather, an ordinance will be drafted in response to this. As of right now, nothing has changed.

At the August meeting where the referendum was authorized, Mayor Alfonso Cirulli said that the township has been getting complaints about there being too many signs "for years."

It is not known yet what will exactly be in the resolution, but Cirulli emphasized that it would not impact private property. He said that at certain corners you see signs "falling all over the place."

"Whether it passes or fails, what's in the resolution, it probably is not what would be in an eventual ordinance," Township Attorney Christopher Dasti said at the time.