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

CHESTER, 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 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 Chester Borough and Township: In both the borough and the township, New Jersey State Senator Republican Anthony Bucco of 25th District, will face Democratic candidate Jeffrey Grayzell. In the Assembly race, incumbent Republican Assemblyman Brian Bergen and Assemblywoman Aura Dunn, each of the 25th District, are being challenged for their seats by Democratic candidates Lauren Barnett and Patricia L. Veres.
• Locally in Chester Borough: There are no Democratic candidates on the ballot, with Republican Councilmen Christopher Heil and Kyle J. Holman, each running unopposed.
• Locally in Chester Township: There is a contested race for Chester Township Council, with incumbent Republican Councilman Tim Drag and Republican nominee John Butkus, sharing the ballot with Councilman Brian Curley, who is running as an Independent, for two three-year seats.
• Board of Education: There are eight candidates currently on the ballots for both the borough and township for three seats on the Chester School District's Board of Education, Sara Kalashian the only incumbent running again. Other candidates in this race on this ballot include: Carolina Rodriguez, Matthew R. Downs, Sarah Schultz, Simone Campbell, Thomas G. Murphy, Dana Levens and John Barounis. For the West Morris Regional School District's Board of Education, Don Storms is running uncontested for the borough spot and Michael J. Golabek is running an uncontested race for the township seat on the regional board.

Where And How Can I Vote?

In-Person Voting Options

Registered voters can vote in person 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 early or on Nov. 2, cannot use the voting machines in-person and must use a provisional ballot if they go to the polls.

For those choosing to vote 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.