Princeton 2026 Election Guide: Candidates, Deadlines, How To Vote

PRINCETON, NJ — A U.S. Senate race and an open seat in Congress top the ballot for Princeton voters on Nov. 3. Closer to home, three candidates are running for two seats on the Princeton Council, and three candidates are running unopposed for three school board seats.

The Mercer County Clerk's Office has released sample ballots for Princeton, which can be found here.

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Here are the races Princeton voters will be asked to cast ballots for:

U.S. SENATE – Candidates for U.S. Senate are Cory Booker (Democrat), Justin Murphy (Republican), Veronica Fernandez (End the Corruption!) and Joanne Kuniansky (Socialist Workers Party). The term lasts six years.

U.S. HOUSE, 12th DISTRICT – With Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman retiring, four candidates are running for the open seat: Adam Hamawy (Democrat), Gregg Mele (Republican), Winston Jordan (Get Money Out) and Andres Jinete (Green Party). The term lasts two years.

MERCER COUNTY SHERIFF – The candidates are John A. "Jack" Kemler (Democrat) and David Meiswinkle (Republican). The term lasts three years.

MERCER COUNTY SURROGATE – The candidates are Diane Gerofsky (Democrat) and Priscilla DeVine (Republican). The term lasts five years.

MERCER COUNTY COMMISSIONERS (vote for two) – The candidates are Nakia White Barr (Democrat), Lucylle R.S. Walter (Democrat), Kevin Monte De Ramos (Republican) and Donald Ober (Republican). Terms last three years.

PRINCETON COUNCIL (vote for two) – The candidates are Marina Rubina (Democrat), David Cohen (Democrat) and Antonio Merolli (Republican). Terms last three years.

PRINCETON SCHOOL BOARD (vote for three) – Three candidates are running unopposed for three seats on the Princeton Public Schools Board of Education: Beth A. Behrend, Adam Bierman and Eleanor Hubbard. Terms last three years.

HOW TO VOTE

The deadline to register for this election was Oct. 13. Check to see if you're registered.

There are three ways to vote in the 2026 general election. Here's what's available for Mercer County residents, according to the county:

Vote By Mail – Registered voters can apply for a mail-in ballot for any reason. Applications sent by mail are due Oct. 27, and can be downloaded in several languages at nj.gov/state/elections/vote-by-mail.shtml. Voters can also apply in person at the Mercer County Clerk's Office, 209 S. Broad St., Trenton, until 3 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2. The office will have extra walk-in hours from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 31.

The County Clerk's Office can't accept faxed or emailed applications, because an original signature is required. The only exception is for military and overseas voters.

Returning Your Mail-In Ballot: Voters have three options:

• Drop box: Place the ballot in any of the county's secure drop boxes by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The boxes are open 24 hours a day. Princeton has two: at the Princeton Municipal Building, 400 Witherspoon St. (in front of the building, facing Witherspoon Street), and at the Princeton University Wawa/Dinky Station, 152 Alexander St. (on the circle). A full list of locations is [here].
• In person: Deliver the ballot to the Mercer County Board of Elections, 930 Spruce St., by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.
• Mail: Send the ballot back using the postage-paid envelope. It must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by the Board of Elections by Monday, Nov. 9.

If you didn't receive your mail-in ballot, or part of it is missing, contact the County Clerk's Office at 609-989-6494 or Mercervotes@mercercounty.org. You can track your ballot [here].

Voters can also use an authorized messenger to drop off their ballot. The messenger must be a family member or a registered voter in the county, can't be a candidate in the election and can carry ballots for no more than three voters.

Early Voting – Registered voters can vote in person at any of the eight early voting locations in Mercer County from Saturday, Oct. 24, through Sunday, Nov. 1. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Princeton's early voting site is in the Community Room at the Princeton Municipal Building, 400 Witherspoon St.

Early voting sites are:

• East Windsor: Mercer County Library, 138 Hickory Corner Road
• Ewing: Mercer County Office Park, 1440 Parkside Ave.
• Hamilton: Colonial Fire Company, 801 Kuser Road
• Lawrence: Mercer County Library, 2751 Brunswick Pike (at Darrah Lane)
• Pennington: Pennington Fire Company, 120 Broemel Place
• Princeton: Princeton Municipal Building Community Room, 400 Witherspoon St.
• Trenton: Trenton Fire Headquarters, 244 Perry St.
• West Windsor: Mercer County Library, 333 N. Post Road

Election Day – Registered voters can vote in person at their assigned polling place on Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Polling locations are listed on your sample ballot.

Voting machines – Mercer County uses the same Dominion voting machines for early voting and Election Day. The county has a video that explains how to use them.

For questions about voter registration or voting machines, call the Mercer County Superintendent of Elections at 609-989-6770. For mail-in ballot questions, call the County Clerk's Office at 609-989-6494. The Mercer County Board of Elections can be reached at 609-989-6522.