Voting In Middletown: Everything You Need To Know

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Election Day 2020 is here! You cannot machine vote at the polls on Nov. 3 unless you have a documented disability.

Even if you go to your regular polling place to vote, you will only be able to vote via a provisional ballot (paper ballot) and they count provisional ballots last, after all the mail-in and machine votes have been counted. County clerks across New Jersey have said the best way to vote is drop your sealed ballot in a ballot drop box — Don't forget to sign it.

You have until 8 p.m. Tuesday night to drop your vote in the secure ballot box, up in two places in Middletown:

• Croydon Hall 900 Leonardville Road Middletown, NJ 07737
• Middletown Municipal Building 1 Kings Hwy Middletown Township, NJ 07748

The boxes are bolted to the ground and under surveillance by Middletown police. Ballot drop boxes are collected and returned directly to the Monmouth County Board of Elections office. These ballots are only handled by designated Board of Elections representatives.

If you are mailing it, you must put the ballot in the mail today so it is postmarked Nov. 3.

Middletown Township Committee:

The Republicans are Patricia Snell, a Committeewoman running to keep her seat. Ryan Clarke is running alongside her; he hopes to fill the seat Tony Fiore held for the past five terms. Clarke is the former chief of the Middletown Township Fire Department; he's been a volunteer Middletown firefighter and EMT with Lincroft First Aid since the '90s.

Both Snell and Clarke are running with the backing of the Monmouth County Republican Organization.

The Democrats are Marguerite Stocker and Brian Penschow, running with the backing of the Monmouth County Democratic Party.

Middletown's Open Space Referendum:

Currently, Middletown homeowners pay two cents per every $100 of their quarterly tax bill to the town's open space trust fund. The ballot referendum question — supported by all the Democrats and Republicans running — seeks to raise it to three cents per every $100. The average Middletown homeowner (owning a home assessed at $447,629) currently pays around $89 a year to the town's open space fund. So it will be a small tax increase above that.

If voters approve the referendum, the money will go to purchase land and historic farms in Middletown and keep it as open space. The money can also be used to make improvements to Middletown's recreation facilities. All the candidates support the increased open space tax increase.

Middletown Board of Education: Ten candidates seek three open seats. The candidates are:

• Robin Stella (currently on the board, vice president, running to keep her seat)
• Nicholas A. DiFranco (currently on the board, running to keep his seat)
• Pamela Rogers (currently on the board, president, running to keep her seat)
• Raymond Jankowski
• Kelly Brodin
• Pam Smith
• Patricia Reed
• Jacqueline Tobacco
• Frank Capone
• Harmony B. Heffernan

Here is Patch's guide on the issues in the Middletown BOE race.

In addition to the presidential race, voters in New Jersey will be asked statewide questions such as whether New Jersey voters want to legalize marijuana and whether to make peacetime veterans eligible to receive the veterans' property tax deduction. For more on marijuana legalization, click here.

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 US 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).

Congress: One U.S. Senate seat is up for vote: Incumbent Democrat Cory Booker will face Republican Rik Mehta.

Middletown's two longtime Congress reps are also running for re-election: Republican Rep. Chris Smith is being challenged by Democrat Stephanie Schmid, and Democrat Rep. Frank Pallone (he represents the North Middletown/Keansburg area) is being challenged by Republican Christian Onuoha.

• Track my mail-in ballot.
• Where can I vote in person?
• Mailing back your ballot? Postmarked by deadline: Nov. 3
• Received by deadline: Nov. 10

Here's How NJ's Mail-In General Election Will Work: What To Know

What's A NJ Provisional Ballot? How Does It Work? Patch Found Out

Do Mail-In Ballots Force NJ Voters To Lie? Here's The Answer

How Are Election Signatures Verified In NJ? Patch Found Out

How To Register, Track Your General Election Vote Online In NJ

Key 2020 Voting Deadlines In New Jersey