County Clerk Will Open Saturday as Election Deadlines Near

The Ocean County Clerk's Office will hold weekend hours to accommodate potential school board candidate filings and last minute mail-in ballot requests for the June 4 primary.

The office, located at 118 Washington St., Room 107, will open from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, to help voters and potential school board candidates make their requests, said Ocean County Clerk Scott M. Colabella in a news release. 

"As a convenience to the public, and in an effort to increase voter participation, we are pleased to offer these additional hours," Colabella said. "We have found that in the past many individuals who cannot come to our office during regular business hours have taken advantage of the extended hours."

Regular office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

In the Toms River Regional district, the terms of Board of Education members Edward F. Gearity (Beachwood), Michael A. Jedziniak (Pine Beach) and Thomas Baxter expire in 2013, according to the clerk's office. 

Qualified candidates for school board have until 4 p.m., Tuesday, June 4, to file their nominating petitions in order to have their name placed on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot, Colabella said. School board members serve three-year terms. 

All Ocean County school districts opted to move their school board elections from April to November as a result of a bill signed into law by Gov. Chris Christie in 2012, Colabella said. Candidates are listed in a separate section of the November ballot, as school board elections are nonpartisan.

A total of 68 school board seats will appear on the November ballot in various school districts throughout Ocean County, according to Colabella.

After May 28, Ocean County voters must apply in person at the county clerk’s Election Office to obtain a mail-in ballot for the Primary Election. Voters do not need a reason to vote by mail in New Jersey, Colabella said. The deadline for obtaining a mail-in ballot in person is 3 p.m. on Monday, June 3. After that, voters must obtain a court order from a judge allowing them to apply for a mail-in ballot.

"As of May 21, the County Clerk’s Election Office issued a total of 4,447 mail-in ballots for the upcoming June 4 Primary Election," Colabella said. "Of that total, 2,346 ballots have been issued to registered Republicans; 1,455 ballots have been issued to registered Democrats; and 646 ballots have been issued to unaffiliated voters."

Republican incumbents and Democratic challengers will face no opposition in their 2013 primary bids to run for seats on Toms River's Township Council. 

The seats of incumbent council members in Toms River's Wards 1-4 — all controlled by Republicans — are available come November. Democratic challengers, including a former Toms River mayor, have declared their intentions to run in the primary for those four-year terms in each ward. 

For more information on obtaining a mail-in ballot or filing a petition to run for school board, individuals may contact the County Clerk’s Election Office at 732-929-2153.

Sample ballots and polling locations will be mailed to voters prior to the June 4 primary, and that information also is available through the county clerk's website.