33 Percent of Livingston Residents Turn Out for Election Swept by Democrats

Approximately 33.36 percent of Livingston voters cast a ballot yesterday, electing Democrats Rudy Fernandez, Edward Meinhardt, and Shawn Klein to the open Livingston Township Council seats, according to the Essex County Clerk’s Office.

Livingston Mayor Michael Rieber lost his seat to Meinhardt by just 27 votes. With 18 percent of the vote, Councilman Fernandez gained the most votes followed by Shawn Klein who scored 17.46 percent, and Edward Meinhardt, who had 16.65 percent of the vote.

The Livingston Board of Education elections were unopposed with Ronnie Spring and Ronnie Ferber Konner gaining two-year and one-year unexpired terms, respectively. Charles Buddy August was elected to a 3-year-term on the Board of Ed.

County and State Elections

In Essex County, only 29 percent of registered voters countywide made it to the polls -- just 135,243 out a registered 488,341 voters in Essex, according to the Essex County Clerk.

76.95 percent of Essex County voters chose Democrat Cory Booker for Senate over Jeff Bell, the Republican opposition. However, nationwide, the Republicans captured the Senate.

With 51.73 percent of the vote in Essex County, Republican Rodney P. Frelinghuysen retained his seat as Livingston’s Congressional Representative, defeating Livingston resident, Democrat Mark Dunec by 1,551 votes countywide.

With a whopping 76.67 percent of the vote in Essex County, Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. was reinstated as County Executive, defeating Republican challenger Peter H. Tanella. The Democrats also swept the Essex County Freeholders elections.

Percentage of voter turnout in Livingston based on registered voters in the 2011 census and 2014 election stats from the Essex County Clerk’s Office