Primary Election Day In Westfield: When, Where To Vote

WESTFIELD, NJ — The New Jersey Primary Election for 2021 is set for Tuesday, June 8, and although it will be primarily a vote in-person, there are still several options to make sure your vote is counted.

In our area that includes voting at a polling location, using a secure drop box, mailing your ballot back or hand delivering it to your local board of elections.

“We want to be sure voters know the resources available to them as well as the key deadlines ahead of the upcoming elections,” said New Jersey Secretary of State Tahesha Way. “From information on how to vote in person, where to find secure ballot drop box locations or how to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot, we’re making it as easy as possible for voters to exercise their right to participate in this important process.”

The Rundown

• Election date: June 8
• Check if you are registered to vote.
• 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?

• Gubernatorial Race: Current Governor Phil Murphy is running unopposed for the nomination of the Democratic Party.

Here's who is on the Republican ballot:

• Jack Ciattarelli, a former 16th Legislative District Assemblyman from 2011 to 2018 and Hillsborough resident. He previously ran for governor in 2017, coming in second in the primaries behind then-Republican nominee Kim Guadagno. Ciattarelli's platform is centered on relaxing pandemic-related restrictions and reinvigorating the New Jersey economy in the wake of the health crisis. He's already gained backing from U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew as well as multiple county chairs (including those in Bergen, Atlantic, Somerset, Essex, Salem and more) and has pivoted his focus to attacking Murphy. Read more: NJ Gov Candidate Calls For Gathering Limit, Face Mask Lift By May

• Brian D. Levine, a former Somerset freeholder and Franklin Township mayor. He held the mayoral post for 10 years until 2014, when he then ran for freeholder. He lost his bid for a third term in 2020. According to NJ 101.5, he's self-described as fiscally conservative but not ideologically, maintaining that his occupational background as a CPA would benefit New Jersey's economic compass.

• Hirsh V. Singh, a perennial candidate who has announced bids to run for governor in 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018 and the U.S. Senate in 2020. He is a businessman with a background in engineering who runs his family's security firm. Born in Atlantic City, Singh lives in Linwood and graduated from NJIT. He is trying to paint himself as the more pro-Trump Republican and Ciattarelli as too moderate.

• Philip Rizzo, a Harding Township resident, real estate developer and pastor of the conservative City Baptist Church in North Bergen. He's an avowed supporter of former President Trump, takes a pro-life stance and has never run for political office.

Ciattarelli and Murphy are the only candidates to qualify for public funds, which caps candidates at spending $7.3 million during the primary election

Westfield And Legislative Races

Westfield will hold an election this November for mayor and four Town Council seats.

Incumbent Mayor Shelley Brindle and her slate of four Democratic incumbent council candidates will face off in November against Republican mayoral candidate JoAnne Neylan, a former councilwoman, and her slate of four Republican council candidates. READ MORE: Two Slates Will Vie For Westfield Mayor And Council Spots

Each slate is running unopposed for their party's nomination on Tuesday, so while Republicans or Democrats can still pull the lever for them, their races to be their party's nominee are uncontested.

Watch for more coverage of the Westfield elections in the future.

Westfield residents also can vote in the primaries for candidates for state Senate and Assembly in the 21st Legislative District.

Each legislative district has one state senator and two Assembly representatives. On Tuesday, Republican and Democratic voters may nominate one candidate for state senate and two Assembly candidates. Then those nominees will face off in November.

The Democratic and Republican candidates for those seats are:

State Senator: Incumbent Tom Kean Jr. announced in February that he will not run for re-election to the seat. Currently, Assemblyman John Bramnick is seeking the Republican nomination to take his place as state senator. Joseph Signorello III is seeking the Democratic nomination to run.

Assembly: On the Republican side, three candidates are facing off for two seats. Incumbent Nancy Muñoz is seeking the nomination, as are Michele Matsikoudis and Jennifer A. Makar. (Makar submitted her profile; read it here.)

On the Democratic side, Elizabeth A. Graner and Anjali Mehrotra are seeking the nomination.

Where Can I Vote?

Registered voters can vote in person at their local polling place from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on June 8. Find your polling place in Westfield on this list.

Voters should know to:

• Find their current polling location using Vote.NJ.Gov’s polling location tool and decide whether they will vote in person or request a vote-by-mail ballot.

• Request a vote-by-mail ballot if they need or prefer to vote from home in the upcoming election. If a voter does not apply, they will not automatically receive a vote-by-mail ballot to participate. Any registered New Jersey voter can choose to request a vote-by-mail ballot using one of the following methods:

• Go to the Vote By Mail page on Vote.NJ.Gov to download and print an application for vote-by-mail ballot. Then, mail or deliver the completed application to the appropriate local County Clerk. To be sent a ballot by mail for the June 8 primary election, the application must have been received by June 1.

Returning a vote-by-mail ballot is once again as easy as VOTE, SIGN, SEAL, RETURN. Return options include:

• Mail: It must be postmarked on or before 8 p.m. on June 8 and received by June 14.

• Secure Ballot Drop Box: Place it in one of their county’s secure ballot drop boxes in use by 8 p.m. June 8 for the primary election. Drop box locations can be found at Vote.NJ.Gov.

• Board of Elections Office: Deliver in person to the county Board of Elections by 8:00 p.m. June 8 for the primary election.
• NOTE: Vote-by-mail ballots CANNOT be returned to polling places for this election.

For more details on the June 8 primary election, visit Vote.NJ.Gov.

To contribute candidate information, suggestions, and more, email: caren.lissner@patch.com.

Don't miss breaking news alerts for Westfield when they are announced, or get a free daily newsletter each morning with local news. Sign up with your preferences here.

Got news? Email caren.lissner@patch.com. Got photos? Please include express written permission from the photographer for us to use them. To be the first to get free news alerts with breaking stories in your town, or to get a free local newsletter each morning, sign up for Patch breaking news alerts or daily newsletters.