Chatham Voter Guide 2021: When, Where To Vote, Who's Running

CHATHAM, NJ — The New Jersey General Election for 2021 is set for Tuesday, Nov. 2 and there are several options to make sure your vote is counted.

In our area for Election Day that includes voting at a polling location and vote-by-mail for those who have a vote-by-mail ballot.

Get the latest election news delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe to Patch: https://patch.com/subscribe

The Rundown

• Election Day is Nov. 2, with the polls open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Check if you are registered to vote.
• Where you can drop your ballots.
• Track my mail-in ballot.
• Where can I vote in person?

What Seats And Candidates Are On The Ballot?

• Gubernatorial Race: Current Governor Phil Murphy is running with the Democratic Party against challenger Jack Ciattarelli, former 16th Legislative District Assemblyman from 2011 to 2018. Other candidates include: Madelyn Hoffman of the Green Party of New Jersey, Joanne S. Kuniansky of the Socialist Workers Party and the Libertarian Party’s Gregg Mele. To view all of the gubernatorial candidates’ statements on the Morris County Clerk’s website, click here.

• Senate and Assembly Races in Chatham Borough: New Jersey State Senator and Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean, Jr., announced at the start of 2021, he planned to finish out his term and not run again. Republican Assemblyman Jon Bramnick, who serves with Kean in Legislative Dist. 21, instead put in for Kean's seat during the primary. Bramnick will square off with Democratic candidate Joseph Signorello III in the General Election. In the Assembly race, incumbent Republican Nancy Muñoz will face Democratic challenger Elizabeth A. Graner, while Republican Michele Matsikoudis and Democratic candidate Anjali Mehrotra will compete for the other Assembly seat.
• Senate and Assembly Races in Chatham Township: Democratic New Jersey State Sen. Richard Codey, incumbent of the 27th Legislative Dist., faces Republican Adam Kraemer in the General Election. Incumbent Democratic Assembly members for Legislative Dist. 27, John McKeon and Mila Jasey, who ran uncontested for the nominations in the primary, now face two Republicans who also ran uncontested, Jonathan Sym and Kevin Ryan.
• Locally in Chatham Borough: Incumbent Democratic Chatham Borough Councilwomen Jocelyn Mathiasen and Carolyn Dempsey, who is the council’s president, will face lone Republican challenger, Freddie Bicknese. Bicknese ran uncontested in the primary with Patrick Grady, who is not on the ballot for the General Election.
• Locally in Chatham Township: After former Mayor Tracy Ness announced she would not run again, she instead gave her blessing to fellow Democratic candidate, Katherine “Kathy” R. Abbott, who ran uncontested on the Democratic ticket. However, after Ness resigned in June, Abbott was picked by the local Democratic committee to take Ness’ seat on the Township Committee; and was then selected 3-2 among Township Committee members as the township’s deputy mayor. Republican Daniel R. Bevere, who ran uncontested in the primary, was replaced on the ballot by Mark Lois after Bevere dropped from the General Election for professional obligations.
• Board of Education: The School District of the Chathams’ Board of Education has a contested race on Nov. 2, with a blend of different races among eight candidates for three seats. Among them, incumbent Board Member Ann Ciccarelli is running to keep her three-year seat, against fellow Chatham Borough resident Lara Freidenfelds. For the one, one-year unexpired term, Chris Delsandro is being challenged by another Chatham Borough resident, Brian Hargrove. Candidates from Chatham Township who are running for two, three-year seats are current Board Members Lata K. Kenney and Michelle Clark, who are being challenged by Kyle C. Roberts and James A Nau.

Where And How Can I Vote?

In-Person Voting Options

Registered voters can vote in person either early or at their local polling places on Nov. 2.

Voters, however, who are signed up to vote-by-mail, but would like to head to the polls on Nov. 2, cannot use the voting machines in-person and must use a provisional ballot if they go to the polls.

On Election Day, Nov. 2, they can do so from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and locate their polling location on Vote.NJ.Gov's under the Polling Locations section, broken down by county, here.

Vote-By-Mail

Vote-By-Mail is another option in New Jersey and there are one of three ways to do so.

• Voters may drop their ballot by regular mail, which must be postmarked on or before 8 p.m. on Nov. 2 and received at the voter’s respective Board of Election Office on or by Nov. 8, in order to count.
• Voters may use any of the Secure Ballot Drop Boxes in their county to drop their ballot 24/7, up until 8 p.m. on Nov. 2, the locations for each of these boxes found here.
• Vote-by-mail voters may also drop off their ballot during regular business hours and up until 8 p.m. on Nov. 2, directly to their County Election Officials, with more information available here for each county office here.

Watch the video below from New Jersey’s Department of State for more information about the voting methods:

For more details on voting for this upcoming General Election, visit Vote.NJ.Gov.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.