Politics & Government

Your Essential Election Day Guide

A breakdown of voting info as polls open April 27

Ready to vote?

The 71 polling districts in the Toms River Regional School District are open 2 to 9 p.m. for today’s school board election.

Toms River voters will decide between vying for three spots on the board of education, in the first election since the resignation of former superintendent Michael Ritacco, amid federal charges of bribery and fraud.

Find out what's happening in Toms Riverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

They’ll also decide the fate of a that is growing 3.6 percent over last year. That’s a $200.49 million budget, with a subsequent tax rate of  $0.7389 per $100 for Toms River residents.

Linda Garvey, current Board of Education president, said getting the budget to pass is often the most nerve-racking part of the election.

Find out what's happening in Toms Riverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“In my 18 years, we’ve had the budget fail maybe twice,” she said. “We’ve been very lucky.”

Other places, she said, haven’t been. Barnegat Schools District, where Garvey works, often finds its residents vote down its school budget, she said. Last year was particularly hard to have budgets pass in towns across the state, Garvey said, adding that Toms River’s passed by less than a thousand votes.

Of the 15,501 votes cast in budget question, 52.6 percent, or 8,179, voted yes last year, according to the county clerk’s archive.

The 2010 election saw a large number of voters compared to the year prior. In 2009, there were 8,429 voters; and 66 percent, or 5,604, voted yes.

As a regional district, the Toms River Regional Schools budget must also pass voters in Beachwood, Pine Beach and South Toms River, as well as Toms River. The make up the district.

Should the school budget fail, the spending plan goes before the Toms River Township Council for revising. The council members would then vote on the amended budget.

Here’s your essential guide to today’s election.

  • Encountered a problem at a polling place? Call your municipal clerk. In Toms River, that’s (732) 341-1000, ext. 8200.
  • Want to see the results as they come in? Toms River Patch will begin a live feed of election day happenings starting at 4 p.m. The polls close at 9 p.m. and results start filing in to the county board of elections thereafter.
  • Still need to learn more about the candidates? Check out the Patch they answered, or see how they responded at
  • Want to know what your new tax rate would be if approved by voters? There’s a different school tax rate depending on whether you live in Toms River, Pine Beach, Beachwood or South Toms River.
  • What to learn more about school spending, the budget and its revenue? Check out this Toms River Patch .
  • Don’t know where to go to vote? Call your municipal clerk, who can help you identify your assigned polling place. In Toms River, that’s (732) 341-1000, ext. 8200.


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