Brick 2022 Election: Who's On The Ballot, Where To Vote

BRICK, NJ — The 2022 general election is Tuesday. Here's a last look at who's on the ballot in Brick.

If you're among the voters in Ocean County who chose to receive vote-by-mail ballots, you can turn in your ballot at a secure drop box or hand-deliver it to your local board of elections. It must be turned in or placed in an election drop box by 8 p.m. Tuesday, when the polls close. You can track your mail-in ballot here.

Sample ballots were mailed but if you cannot find yours, they are available online on the Ocean County Clerk's website.

Not sure where your polling place is? New Jersey's election information website has a page where you can enter your address and it will tell you your polling site. Where can I vote in person?

You also can call the Ocean County Election Office at 732-929-2153 for assistance.

Who Is On The Ballot?

• U.S. House of Representatives: Brick will be part of the 4th District when the new Congress is sworn into office in January. The candidates seeking the 4th District seat are Chris Smith, a Republican seeking his 21st term; Democrat Matt Jenkins; Libertarian Jason Cullen; independents Pamela R. Daniels, David Schmidt, and Hank Schroeder.

Patch distributed candidate questionnaires to all six. Jenkins and Daniels responded by Oct. 14. Smith provided a reply on Oct. 31. Here are their profiles:

• NJ-4 Congressional District Election 2022: Matthew Jenkins
• NJ-4 Congressional District Election 2022: Pamela R. Daniels
• NJ-4 Congressional District Election 2022: Chris Smith

There was a candidates' forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Monmouth County. All but Smith participated. You can read more and find a link to watch it here: 5 Takeaways From NJ 4th District Candidates' Forum

• Ballot questions: There are no statewide ballot questions in New Jersey in 2022.

LOCAL RACES

Ocean County Commissioners: There are two seats up for election. Voters have four candidates to choose from: Virginia "Ginny" Haines and John P. "Jack" Kelly, Republicans; Catherine Paura and Roxanne Barnes, Democrats.

Ocean County Sheriff: Michael Mastronardy, the Republican, is being challenged by Democrat Salvatore Fraschino. The sheriff serves for a three-year term.

Brick Township: The Board of Education has two seats up for election, and there are four candidates for the three-year terms. None are incumbents; current board members Daisy Haffner and Melita Gagliardi are not seeking re-election.

The candidates are Maureen Molz, a retiree who was a program manager for the U.S. Army and the FAA; Erin Wheeler, a teacher in another school district; Frances DiBenedictis, a parent; and Madeline Colagiovanni-Iannarone, who works for the Brick Township Recreation Department with children's programming. Here are their responses to Patch questionnaires:

• Brick School Board Election 2022: Maureen Molz
• Brick School Board Election 2022: Erin Wheeler
• Brick School Board Election 2022: Frances DiBenedictis
• Brick School Board Election 2022: Madeline Colagiovanni-Iannarone

The four candidates participated in a voter forum Oct. 6. Read more: 4 Takeaways From The Brick School Board Election Forum

School boards are supposed to be nonpartisan, but partisan politics have been raised in this campaign, with Colagiovanni-Iannarone in particular accusing the current board of partisan politics and saying voting for Wheeler and Molz, who are running together, is voting for an all-Democrat board.

An anonymous flyer stuck in mailboxes over the weekend supporting DiBenedictis and Colagiovanni-Iannarone attacked school board president Stephanie Wohlrab in particular on the basis of political party. The flyer was campaigning for DiBenedictis and Colagiovanni-Iannarone but did not bear any of the campaign identifiers that are required for campaign literature.

Where Can I Vote?

Those looking for a drop box for vote-by-mail ballots can use any in Ocean County. There is one located at the Brick branch of the Ocean County Library on Chambers Bridge Road. They are under surveillance 24/7. The vote-by-mail ballots will be picked up daily and brought to the Board of Elections. All security measures will be followed when collecting and transporting the vote-by-mail ballots, officials said.

Voters wondering how their signatures are checked before the upcoming election can see the process for themselves.

• How Are Election Signatures Verified In NJ? Patch Found Out
• What's An NJ Provisional Ballot? How Does It Work? Patch Found Out
• How To Register, Track Your General Election Vote Online In NJ