Bernards Township Board Of Education Candidate Forum: 2025 Election

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Residents will have the chance to meet the four candidates on Oct. 8 who are running for the three, three-year seats on the Bernards Township Board of Education.

Ridge High School Empowerment for Political Participation (REPP) will host a Bernards Township Board of Education Candidates Forum on Wednesday, Oct. 8 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Ridge High School in Basking Ridge, which will be moderated by the League of Women Voters.

The public is encouraged to attend and participate.

Bernards Township Board of Education candidates include:

• Incumbent Keith Molinari
• Incumbent Smrithi Mohan
• Challenger Faisal Anwar Chaudhry
• Challenger Adam Lefkowitz

All of the candidates are vying to fill three open 3-year term seats. A League member, who is not a resident of Bernards Township, will be the moderator.

The format for each forum will consist of opening and closing statements from each candidate >and about 60 minutes of questions from the audience.

Each candidate will have the opportunity to answer the questions and the opportunity for a rebuttal. No remarks of a personal or abusive nature will be permitted.

The event will be videotaped and posted online to allow residents who are unable to attend to view the event. It will be available on the REPP website (sites.google.com/view/repp/) and vote411.org.

All questions submitted during the event will be collected, screened to avoid duplication, and vetted to ensure they relate to the office being sought and do not contain personal attacks. The LWV moderator will read the questions to the candidates and the audience.

The League encourages all registered voters to vote in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

All registered voters may cast their ballot in one of three ways:

1. Vote by mail
2. During in person early voting
3. At your polling place on general election day

The last day to register to vote is Tuesday, Oct. 14. The deadline to complete and return an application for a Vote by Mail (VBM) is Oct. 28. Afterward, you can apply for a mail-in ballot in person in the Clerk’s Office up until 3 p.m. on Nov. 3.

Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked or dropped in a secure drop box on or before 8 p.m. on Nov. 4.

In-person early voting starts as early as Oct. 25 and lasts until Nov. 2. To vote on election day, visit your polling location between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. to cast your vote. For more voting information, log onto www.lwvnj.org, visit the New Jersey Voter Information Portal, or call 1-877-NJ-VOTER.

REPP is a student-run, non-partisan organization at Ridge High School that has the support of the Ridge High School Administration.

The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan, civic organization whose purpose is to promote political responsibility and the informed and active participation in government. For more information about the League of Women Voters, email contact@lwvnj.org.