2022 Election In Lakewood: How To Vote, Who's On The Ballot

LAKEWOOD, NJ — The 2022 general election is near. Here's a look at your options for voting this year, along with who's on the ballot in Lakewood.

In Ocean County that includes voting at a polling location, either during the early voting period, which runs through Nov. 6, or on Election Day, Nov. 8.

If you're among the voters in Ocean County who receive vote-by-mail ballots, you can turn in your ballot at a secure drop box, mail your ballot back or hand-deliver it to your local board of elections. If you mail it back, it must be postmarked by Nov. 8.

There are about 400,000 voters in Ocean County, and the majority will be voting in person. Sample ballots are available online on the Ocean County Clerk's website.

Early voting began Saturday, Oct. 29, and ends Nov. 6, and will be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

The Rundown

• Election date: Nov. 8
• Where can I drop off my ballot?
• Track my mail-in ballot.
• Where can I vote in person?

What And Who Are On The Ballot?

• U.S. House of Representatives: Lakewood 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.

Lakewood Township Committee: Republican Albert Akerman and Democrat Mordechai Gross are running for one open seat on the committee. It is a three-year term.

Lakewood Board of Education: There are four candidates running for the three, three-year terms on the school board: Moshe Bresler, who is running under the Vouchers, Busing, Accountability slogan; Meir Grunhut; Isaac Zlatkin, and Shlomie Z. Stern. In addition, there is a one-year unexpired term up for election; Eliyahu Greenwald is the sole candidate on the ballot for that seat.

Where Can I Vote?

Those looking for a drop box for vote-by-mail ballots can use any in Ocean County. There are drop boxes . 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 A NJ Provisional Ballot? How Does It Work? Patch Found Out
• How To Register, Track Your General Election Vote Online In NJ