By Barbara A. Preston I November 3, 2021
It may take a while to determine the winners and losers of the 2021 general election in New Jersey. Many races, especially in the Montgomery area, were simply too close to call.
The Boards of Election through the state will accept mail-in ballots through November 8. The mail must be postmarked by November 2. That is 144 hours, or six days, after the time of the closing of the polls for the election, according to the NJ State Board of Elections. This could make a difference in a close election.
Then, there was the rollout of a new $68 million voting system — which includes new machines with a paper trail. Part of the new voting system requires voters to make an electronic signature to verify eligibility. Voters previously signed a paper log book. The new system necessitates an Internet connection.
The state Division of Elections acknowledged the electronic poll books "at a small number of polling locations" had issues. Several polling stations in unidentified locations experienced poor Internet connectivity, or periods without any Internet. Poll workers in these locations directed voters to fill out provisional ballots. These ballots are usually the last counted. Again, in a tight race, this could be significant.
Democratic candidates Neena Singh and Marvin Schuldiner appear to have defeated Conservative Republican challenger Christina “Christy” Tierney. The following counts are from the Somerset County Clerk’s office as of 6 pm.
This race was much closer, when early counts put Tierney ahead. Once the early voting results were combined with the election day results, Tierney slipped behind.
Neena Singh (Dem) — 4,449 votes (37.5 percent)
Marvin Schuldiner (Dem) — 4,364 (36.8 percent)
Christina Tierney (Rep) — 2,970 (25 percent)
This election was too close to call. The following counts are from the Somerset County Clerk’s office as of 6 pm. Two will be elected to serve.
Michael Kirsh (Rep) — 51,262 (25.29 percent)
Shanel Y. Robinson (Dem) — 50,959 (25.14 percent)
Sara Sooy (Dem) — 50,367 (24.85 percent)
Amber Murad (Rep) — 50,066 (24.7 percent)
The following counts are from the Associated Press as of 6 pm.
Andrew Zwicker (Dem) — 37,951 (51.98 percent)
Michael Pappas (Rep) — 35,058 (48 percent)
This election was too close to call. Two will be elected to serve. The following counts are from the Associated Press as of 6 pm.
Roy Freiman (Dem) — 37,227 (26 percent)
Sadaf Jaffer (Dem) — 35,819 (25.06 percent)
Vincent Panico (Rep) — 35,273 (24.68 percent)
Joseph Lukac (Rep) — 34,629 (24.22 percent)
The following counts are from the Associated Press as of 6 pm.
Philip Murphy (Dem) — 1,254,349 (50.51 percent)
Jack Ciattarelli (Rep) — 1,210,068 (48.73 percent)
Madelyn Hoffman (Ind) — 7,803 (.31 percent)
Gregg Mele (Ind) — 7,309 (.29 percent)
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Track your vote using the following site: nj.gov/state/elections/vote-track-my-ballot.shtml.
