Point Pleasant Election 2024: Election Day Is Here

POINT PLEASANT, NJ — Election Day 2024 has arrived at last. For voters who have waited until today to cast their ballots, here are reminders about where to vote and who's on the ballot in Point Pleasant.

Key information

• Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 5
• Polls open: 6 a.m.-8 p.m.
• Where can I vote in person? Find your polling location online; it also will be on your sample ballot.
• I have a vote-by-mail ballot. How can I return it? Ocean County has 20 ballot drop-box locations. Ballots must be deposited in the dropbox by 8 p.m. Nov. 5
• Mailing it? Ballots must be postmarked by 8 p.m. Nov. 5 and received by the Board of Elections by Nov. 11
• Track your mail-in ballot.

Who Are The Candidates?

In Point Pleasant, the Borough Council race for two, three-year terms is uncontested. Republican incumbent Antoinette “Toni” DePaola is seeking re-election to another three-year term, and her running mate, William “Butch” Stevenson Jr., is a newcomer.

The Point Pleasant Board of Education election has four candidates seeking three, three-year seats. Dawn M. Coughlan, running on the Guiding Panthers Forward slogan, and Lawrence "Larry" Williams are seeking re-election. Hannah Corbin, running on the Advocating for Education! slogan, and Gregory Hillman also are seeking one of the three seats.

John Florio is not seeking re-election to the board.

All four school board candidates responded to questionnaires:

• Point Pleasant School Board Election 2024: Hannah Corbin
• Point Pleasant School Board Election 2024: Dawn Coughlan
• Point Pleasant School Board Election 2024: Gregory Hillman
• Point Pleasant School Board Election 2024: Larry Williams

Here's a quick rundown of the choices that voters will be asked to make on a national, state and county level:

• Presidential race: Residents can either cast a write-in vote or choose between Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, the Democratic candidates, or former President Donald Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, the Republicans. Also running are: Claudia de la Cruz and Karina Garcia, Party for Socialism and Liberation; Rachele Fruit and Margaret Trowe, Socialist Workers Party; Joseph Kishore and Jerry White, Socialist Equality party; Chase Oliver and Mike Ter Maat, Libertarian Party; Jill Stein and Rudolph Ware, Green Party; Randall A. Terry and Stephen E. Broden, U.S. Constitution Party.
  
  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, will appear on the ballot as independents. While Kennedy withdrew from the race on Aug. 23 and endorsed Trump, it was too late to have his name removed from the ballot in New Jersey, which has a deadline of Aug. 16 for candidates to withdraw. Requests from Kennedy and from the state Democratic Party Committee to remove Kennedy's name were rejected, the New Jersey Globe reported.
• U.S. Senate: The U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Robert Menendez is up for election. Democrat Andy Kim, who has been serving the Third District in the House of Representatives since January 2019, is being challenged for the seat by Republican Curtis Bashaw, a newcomer. Also running for the six-year term are: Kenneth Kaplan, Libertarian Party; Christina Khalil, Green Party; Joanne Kuniansky, Socialist Workers Party; Patricia G. Mooneyham, on the Vote Better slogan.
• U.S. House of Representatives: All 12 House seats in New Jersey are up for election, including the 4th District. Incumbent Republican Chris Smith is seeking his 23rd term in the House. His challengers are Democrat Matthew Jenkins; Barry Bendar of the Green Party, and John Morrison of the Libertarian Party.
• Ocean County: There are two three-year terms up for election on the Board of Commissioners. Republicans Jennifer Bacchione and Robert Arace are being challenged by Democrats Karen Sugden and Regina C. Discenza. Bacchione, who chairs the Berkeley Township Housing Authority, also serves on the Ocean County Board of Health. Her husband is Berkeley Township Mayor John Bacchione. Arace is in his second year as mayor of Manchester Township. The two unseated Barbara Jo "Bobbi Jo" Crea and Gary Quinn in the Republican primary in June. Discenza has run for office before in Lacey Township, and Sugden is making her second bid for office.