Primary & Voter Registration Information

by Bonnie Corcoran

April 1st was the deadline for Republican and Democratic candidates to file their paperwork to be on the Primary Ballot in June.

On Tuesday, June 4th, registered voters will vote in either the Democratic or Republican Primary to decide which two mayoral candidates go on to the General Election in November.

The mayoral primary candidates are:

John Grande (R)

Marc Marsi (R)

Stephanie McGowan (D) (Current Councilwoman)

Frank Nunziato (D) (Current Councilman)

The following candidates are vying for 2 seats on council. The parties are running unopposed in the Primary and will also be on the ballot in the General Election in November.

Kristina Gagliardi-Wilson (R)

Mark Goldsack (D) (Incumbent)

Tommy Mullahey (D) (Incumbent)

Ryan Weist (R)

The deadline to file as an Independent candidate for the General Election in November is June 4th.

Did you know that anyone can vote in the Primary?

As a declared voter (Republican or Democrat), you can only vote in the party’s primary (if you are a Republican you can only vote in the Republican Primary and if you are a Democrat, you can only vote in the Democratic primary).

BUT if you are registered as an Independent or Undeclared, you can go to the polls on Primary Day and declare a party (either R or D) and vote in the primary under that party line.

If you want to go back to being an Independent, a NJ Voter Registration Application can be picked up at Borough Hall. Fill it out, making sure to check the box at the right (Political Party Affiliation or Non-affiliation Change) along with the box at #10 and mail it in and you will once again be an Independent.

To Change Party Affiliation (Deadline April 10th):

If you are a declared Republican or declared Democrat and you wish to change your Party Affiliation, you must file your Change of Party Affiliation Declaration forms (available at Borough Hall or you can print them from this link:

https://www.njelections.org/assets/pdf/chrons/2019-chron-06-primary-election.pdf

Send the forms to the County Commissioners of Registration by April 10th

To Register to Vote (Deadline May 14th)

If you aren’t registered to vote at all and would like to vote in the Primary, you have until May 14th to file your Voter’s Registration form (available at Borough Hall or online use this link https://www.njelections.org/assets/pdf/chrons/2019-chron-06-primary-election.pdf )

To Apply for Mail-In Ballot (Deadline May 28th)

If you think you may be out of town for the Primary Election, you have until May 28th to apply for a Mail-In Ballot by Mail (forms are available at Borough Hall or online here: https://www.njelections.org/assets/pdf/chrons/2019-chron-06-primary-election.pdf

If you have any other questions regarding NJ elections, https://www.njelections.org/ is filled with information such as Am I Registered to vote?, Where is my polling location, etc.

Campaign Finance Information

You can learn more about individual campaign finances at the Elec Website: https://www.elec.state.nj.us/ . (Elect was "established in 1973 to monitor the campaign finances of all elections in the State."

Anyone can look up a candidate’s forms by going to the Public Information tab and selecting View a report. Then select “View a Candidate/Committee Report” where one can search under the name, or Location (it lists Legislative District first, then by county-scroll down to Bergen County/Rutherford) and then fill out all the other tabs (Office, Party, Election Type and Year) to narrow down the search. Once the candidate’s name or party shows up, you can click on it to view their reports.