New Brunswick 2021 Election Guide: Who's Running, How To Vote

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — There is no city election in New Brunswick this fall, but voters should be aware that in 2022 the New Brunswick City Council plans to add two more seats, going from five seats to seven.

New Brunswick and Piscataway are part of NJ Legislative District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset counties), which includes the towns of Franklin, Milltown, New Brunswick, North Brunswick and Piscataway.

Voters will be asked to choose two to represent them in Trenton: Current Democrat state Assemblymen Joseph Danielsen and Joseph Egan or Republican challengers Catherine Barrier and Peter Gabra.

Across the Raritan River, Highland Park and Metuchen are part of Legislative District 18 (East Brunswick, Edison, Helmetta, Highland Park, Metuchen, South Plainfield and South River) and in that race, it's:

Current Democrat assemblymen Robert Karabinchak and Sterley Stanley challenged by Republicans Angela Fam and Melanie McCann Mott, plus Brian Kulas (An Inspired Advocate Party) and David Awad (Libertarian Party).

There are a range of topics on which Republicans and Democrats generally disagree on in New Jersey this year, including: The lockdowns and school closures of 2020, vaccine mandates, Gov. Murphy's requirement that children as young as two wear a mask and mask mandates in general. Property taxes, corporate taxes, immigration, drivers' licenses for illegal immigrants, voter ID and voter fraud and even abortion/reproductive rights are all hot topics this election season.

There is also the New Jersey governor's race, where Republican Jack Ciattarelli will try to prevent Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy from winning a second term.

Unlike last year, where New Jersey voters were forced to vote only by mail, voters have many more ways to vote this year:

• You can now machine vote early from Oct. 23 - 31, thanks to a new law passed in New Jersey earlier this year. Here are all 10 places to vote early in Middlesex County; you do not have to be a resident of these towns to vote here: All The Middlesex County Sites For Early, In-Person Voting
• Vote on Nov. 2 Election Day
• Or vote by mail. Here are all the places in Middlesex County to drop your mail-in ballot or just put it in your mailbox: http://www.middlesexcountynj.g...

Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked or placed in drop boxes on or before 8 p.m. on Nov. 2, Election Day.

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