Vote by Mail for BOE Election, Candidate Order Chosen and Upcoming Candidate Forums

With Fort Lee Board of Education elections coming up soon—April 27 to be exact—voters now know in what order the six candidates vying for three seats on the board will appear on the ballot. They should also be aware that if they can’t make it to the polls on voting day—or simply don’t want to—they can vote by mail.

In New Jersey, any voter can vote by mail in any election, according to the New Jersey Department of State, so there’s no excuse not to have your vote counted.

In order to vote by mail, registered voters must first complete an application to get a vote by mail ballot (application available here in English and Spanish). The application must then be returned to and received by the County Clerk at least seven days before the election—in the case of Fort Lee’s BOE election, that would be April 20.

Voters can also apply for a mail-in ballot in person at the County Clerk’s office up until 3 p.m. the day before the election, according to the Department of State.

The County Clerk for Bergen County is Hon. Elizabeth Randall, Bergen County Clerk, One Bergen Plaza, Room 130, Hackensack, NJ 07601.

Also note that the County Clerk will not accept faxed or emailed copies of the application, because an original signature is required. The only exception is for military or overseas voters.

Meanwhile, late last week, ballot selection and candidate order for the Fort Lee BOE election was chosen at 255 Whiteman St. According to one source, who was present for the process, “it was a quick and low-tech means of choosing the order of candidates on the ballot.”

"[Business Administrator and Board Secretary Cheryl Balletto] folded papers with [the candidates’] names on them, placed them into a cardboard box and shook it. She pulled a name, shook it and pulled again until all six were done,” she said.

Here’s how it turned out and therefore the order in which the six candidates will appear on the ballot next month:

1. Helen Yoon
2. Michele Ramirez-Stux (Incumbent)
3. Tracy Mattei
4. Paul Umrichin
5. Joe Surace (Incumbent)
6. Peter Suh (Incumbent)

Undecided voters who would like to learn more about the six candidates and how they stand on issues of importance to the district will have plenty of chances in the coming weeks.

A candidates’ forum had been planned for Wednesday evening’s PTA meeting at School No. 3, but that was changed when they were unable to find a mediator. The new date is April 6 at School No. 3. The Fort Lee Homeowners Association will also host a "Board of Education Candidates Night" on April 5 at the Fort Lee Middle School. All six candidates will be invited. And on April 12, the United Republican Club of Fort Lee will host a candidates’ forum at 7 p.m. in the Fort Lee Library’s meeting room.  

Election day is April 27.