County: Candidates Can Attend Polling Places

Don't fret if you see a Hopatcong candidate at your district's polling place on Tuesday. At least not necessarily.

Certain individuals and registered candidates may challenge votes. They can't, however, attempt to influence a vote from closer than 100 feet from a polling place, the Sussex County Board of Elections says.

A mayor, for instance, can challenge votes at any borough district, even if the mayor is up for re-election. Which means it was OK when Mayor Sylvia Petillo, running for her second term, spent a half-hour reading a book inside the Tuesday afternoon.

Petillo was allowed to listen to voters tell poll workers their names. If she doubted a voter's residency in the district, she was allowed to challenge it. She wouldn't, however, have been allowed to initiate contact with voters.

Hopatcong resident Theresa Stanton said she said hello to Petillo, who simply said hello back. "Everybody said hello to me when I went in there," Stanton said.

Council members can also challenge votes at their own districts, the board said. The leaders of a county's Republican and Democratic clubs can also appoint up to two challengers per district, the board said. Or they can appoint an at-large challenger to cover all districts. Challengers who aren't candidates must wear identification designating them as challengers, usually in the form of a badge.

Write-in candidates can't challenge votes or hang out inside polling places, according to the board.

Call the Sussex County Board of Elections at 973-579-0950 if you suspect electioneering, the official said.