More Than 1,000 Turn Out to Vote Before 5 p.m.

Polling locations around Montville Township have seen an increase in voter turnout throughout today's school election, with more than 1,000 votes coming in before 5 p.m. Polls opened at 7 a.m. and will remain open until 9 p.m.

By 4 p.m. at the William Mason Elementary School, 311 voters had cast their ballots, which poll worker Stan Mikulka, who has been volunteering for school elections for 10 years, said is the busiest year he has seen.

"It's a very strong turnout, usually we might have 100, 150 by this hour," Mikulka said.

At approximately 4:30 p.m. at Cedar Hill Elementary School, 392 votes were counted, which poll workers Fay Cali and Wendy Fishman said was busy compared to some years they have seen in the past, but noted that turnout was high for last year's election, when the budget was defeated.

The Montville Township Public Library had seen 612 voters as of 4:50 p.m., according to poll worker Elena Fletcher. There were more than 100 voters between 3 and 4 p.m.

Poll workers at a fourth polling location, at the Montville Township Municipal Building, declined to comment on the election. Results will be calculated at that location after polls close at 9 p.m.

With three candidates running for three open spots, this year's election centers around the the school budget, with voters having a chance to cast their ballots either for or against the proposed $67,763,621 budget, which is a 1.5 percent increase on the local tax levy.

Throughout the day, voters have , with some finding the budget to be too high and others concerned that more school programs will be cut if it does not pass.