NJ 4th District Primary Election: Who's Running, How To Vote

Tuesday's Primary Election in Monmouth County includes voting for the representative for the House member from New Jersey's 4th Congressional District.

Republican incumbent Chris Smith will be challenged by Republican Alter Eliezer Richter. David Applefield, Christine Conforti and Stephanie Schmid will be vying for the Democratic nomination.

Applefield is a Red Bank resident and works as a writer, journalist and publisher. Conforti is a business and leadership coach as well as a social and emotional learning school consultant residing in Ocean Grove, while Schmid is a former U.S. diplomat and attorney from Little Silver. You can read their profiles here: Election Profile: Christine Conforti For 4th District of NJ and Election Profile: Stephanie Schmid For 4th District of NJ

Schmid won the Monmouth County Democratic Convention in April, earning 62 percent of the vote. This means the candidate will be the Democrat placed "on the line" at the ballot box. She also interned for Smith as a teenager.

Incumbent Smith was first elected to the House in 1980. Prior to his 20 congressional terms, he was a legislative agent for the New Jersey State Legislature. Lakewood rabbi Richter is also seeking the Republican nomination.

The fourth congressional district covers nearly all of Monmouth County, including Colts Neck, Freehold, Holmdel, Howell, Red Bank and Wall. Also included are Jackson and Lakewood in Ocean County as well as Hamilton in Mercer County.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the primary election is being conducted through vote-by-mail balloting. The polls are open until 8 p.m. Tuesday, which is also the deadline for submitting your vote-by-mail ballot if you have not yet turned it in.

Vote-by-mail ballots were mailed to voters who are registered Republicans or registered Democrats. If you have not turned in your ballot, here's how you can still submit your vote:

• Mail your ballot. It must be postmarked no later than 8 p.m. on July 7 to be counted in the election.
• Deliver completed ballots in-person to the Board of Elections by 8 p.m.
  • County Election Offices will be open for walk-in services and hand deliveries at 300 Halls Mill Road in Freehold
• Drop your completed ballot off in a secure ballot drop box. Ballots will be picked up at 8 p.m. Tuesday. In Monmouth County, they are located at:
• Hazlet Agency – NJ Motor Vehicle Commission, 1374 Highway 36, Hazlet, NJ (Airport Plaza)
• Englishtown Borough Municipal Building, 15 Main St., Englishtown, NJ
• Howell Township Municipal Building, 4567 Route 9, North Howell, NJ (Rear Entrance)
• Monmouth County Sheriff's Shore Area Communications Center, 1825 NJ-33, Neptune, NJ
• Eatontown Borough Municipal Building, 47 Broad St., Eatontown, NJ (Rear Entrance)

• In-person voting will be limited. A full list of Monmouth County polling sites for the primary can be found here.

Any questions can be directed to the Monmouth County Board of Elections at (732) 431-7802.