Determined

A nation is formed by the willingness of each of us to share in the responsibility for upholding the common good.

Barbara Jordan

Inform

We are now a month away from the United States Midterm Elections on November 8 2022. Will Biden have a Democratic-controlled Congress for the remainder of his first term? Or will Republicans pick up one or both chambers of Congress, which will empower them to block Biden’s agenda?

Republicans need to flip just five Democratic seats to retake the House majority. Plus House Republicans may have already secured their majority through redistricting. Every 10 years, states must redraw their congressional and state legislative districts based on new census data. It’s supposed to reflect population changes, but many state politicians use the opportunity to affirm their party’s grip on power in state legislative and congressional districts.

Democrats’ majority in the Senate is even more precarious than in the House — at least on paper. Republicans need to win just one Democratic seat to take back control of the Senate for at least the next two years. But some of the most competitive Senate races are in states that voted for Biden in 2020, and Republican voters nominated arguably some of the most extreme candidates in recent memory.

I recently read a disturbing article about Spain’s fascist regime. “Up to the early 1930s, Spain had been among Europe’s most progressive countries, allowing for married couples to divorce and women to seek abortions. Under Franco, those rights were swiftly rescinded. Contraception was outlawed, adultery was criminalized and women lost the right to vote. Newspapers were censored, and many books were banned.” Does any of this sound familiar?

There have been assaults on school boards and libraries. Extreme candidates are running for local, state and national positions. We have had attacks on election officials and have seen efforts to infiltrate and cast doubt on the 2022 midterm results. False and cynical claims of voter fraud threaten our democracy as much as Trump himself. The US Supreme Court’s decision to remove constitutional protections on access to abortions will have significant effects on women and their families. Research shows that the reproductive, social and economic lives of those who are poor, young and/or black are likely to be most damaged. Most abortions are now banned in at least 13 states. In addition, many in the anti abortion movement have a new target: hormonal birth control. They claim that hormonal contraceptives like IUDs and the pill can actually cause abortions.

Christian nationalism, a belief that the United States was founded as a white, Christian nation and that there is no separation between church and state, is gaining steam on the right. Prominent Republican politicians have made the themes critical to their message to voters in the run up to the 2022 midterm elections. These similar nationalist movements in Europe has impacted Italy, France, Sweden and other western democracies.

Midterm Election

Tuesday November 8, 2022

Registration: The deadline to register to vote varies by state.

Registration by state.

Register to Vote in New York State.

Register to Vote in New Jersey.

Absentee Ballot Deadlines and Ballot Tracker by State

Absentee Ballots in New York State.

Absentee Ballots in New Jersey.

Early Voting Start and End Dates by State

Early voting in New York State

Early voting in New Jersey

Respond

Donate to the Senate and House races that could determine who controls Congress.

Donate to governor races as we grapple with state laws that control our own bodies, gun reform, elections, health care and education.

Volunteer in local campaigns by canvassing, phone banking, text banking, letter and postcard writing.

Join national networks in getting out the vote and/or registration drives.

Contact your local election office and become a poll worker. This job was never as important as today.

Become involved. On any day, in any way. Let your voice be heard agains those who are choosing to dismantle this democracy and its freedoms brick by brick. Let’s share in the responsibility of upholding the common good.

Next post: We are Here

The ballot is stronger than the bullet.

Abraham Lincoln

Party primaries are now the most consequential elections in American politics, especially when one party controls both the governor’s office and the legislative chamber (a trifecta) . This is true whether it is the Republican Party in Texas or the Democratic Party in New York. Primary results tell us what is happening within each political party. What fractions within each party dominate at the poll? Who are voters drawn to? Neither Republican nor Democratic candidates for Congress are seen by most voters as having the right priorities, according to a recent poll. Where do your Congressional candidates stand on the issues that matter to you?

Never have state elections been more important than today. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade will create two Americas when it comes to abortion access — the mostly red states where abortion is illegal in most circumstances, and the mostly blue states where it is mostly available with restrictions. But this sudden cleaving in the United States will go far beyond abortion access, affecting healthcare, the criminal legal system and politics, at all levels, in the coming years. What are the ideas, policies and focus of your state senate candidates?

As political scientist Larry Sabato states, every election is determined by the people who show up. It remains to be seen if abortion rights, reproductive freedom and privacy will drive voters to the polls in the primaries and the general election. Get involved at all levels for GOTV campaigns.

The New York Congressional and State Senate Primary
August 23, 2022

Deadlines 

Friday, July 29 2022 
Voter Registration Deadline
Monday, August 8 2022
Absentee Ballot Request deadline
Saturday August 13 – Sunday August 21 2022
Early Voting

Registration, Absentee Ballots, Early Voting and Election Sites

New York City Register To Vote
New York City Absentee Ballot,
New York City Early Voting
New York City Election Day Voting Sites

Nassau County Board of Elections (for all information)

Suffolk County Board of Elections (for all information)

New York State’s Second Primary August 23

As stated in an earlier post, a court released final maps after Democratic drawn congressional and state maps were tossed by the states highest court. My Congressional District number changed , and my present State Senator is not running again in my State Senate District. Use this link to confirm  what your Congressional, State Senate and State Assembly districts are now.

Congressional Races

New York State has 26 Congressional Districts. Find out who is running in your Congressional District

City & State New York has done an extensive analysis of who is running for Congress throughout New York State . We have some of the country’s hottest primaries, including an open seat on Wall Street, a career veteran showdown in Central Park and three open seats on Long Island. At the same time, two Aug. 23 special elections, in the Hudson Valley and Western New York, could serve as a preview for November.

State Senate Races

New York has 63 re-drawn State Senate Districts. Find out who is running in your State Senate District. Another source lists the status of incumbents and confirmed candidates.

 There are several competitive State Senate races taking place for New York State Senate. Several incumbents are facing tough primary challenges while others have had to adjust to newly drawn district lines encompassing neighborhoods they did not previously represent. Some sitting senators even had to decide whether to shift their residence to continue running in familiar territory or face the unpredictability of their new districts. These races include those in New York City, Nassau and Suffolk County, in addition to upstate counties.

Decision Making Time

I encourage each voter to gather information on the candidates in their district as I did below for my candidates. Explore their social media pages, in addition to public media coverage. Ask questions at public meetings and fund raising events. Research what’s in the news, candidate websites, past history, endorsements, and listen to primary debates to help you decide who would best represent you in the upcoming August 23 Primary.

My Congressional District 10 Candidates (Updated September 12)

Primary Results

Dan Goldman won with 25.8% of the votes He will be facing Republican Benine Hamdan on November 8

Luh-Line Niou was second with 23.7% of the votes
Mondaire Jones came in third with 18.2%

History of this race

There were 10 people running for this position. 

Nine candidates appeared before several Brooklyn political clubs answering questions about pressing issues in the district, their policy platforms, and more. Former Rep Elizabeth Holzman was not in attendance. Attorney Maud Maron was not invited by the political clubs. I’ve linked the candidates below to their campaign sites for more information about their experience and platforms. 

Rep. Mondaire Jones (who currently represents a Hudson Valley district but recently moved to Brooklyn to run in NY-10)
Former small business owner Brian Robinson
Former certified teacher Jimmy Jiang Li
Data Analyst Quanda Francis
Assemblymembers Yuh-Line Niou 
Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon 
City Council Member Carlina Rivera
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Goldman
Former Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman
Attorney Maud Maron

Endorsements: Find out who’s backing who in the competitive open seat race to represent parts of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn in the House of Representatives.

Who is in the lead? As of August 8, two women with local bona fides but little national stature have surged toward the front of the pack, upending early conventional wisdom and scrambling the race. In recent public and internal polling for the Democratic primary, Carlina Rivera, a councilwoman from Manhattan, and Yuh-Line Niou, a Manhattan assemblywoman, are running neck-and-neck with the two well-resourced men considered heavyweights: Representative Mondaire Jones, a recent transplant to the district, and Daniel Goldman, the impeachment investigator, who has never held elective office.

Primary Debates Candidates Mondaire Jones, Carlina Rivera, Brian Robinson, Dan Goldman, Yuh-Line Niou, Liz Holtzman, Maud Maron, Jo Anne Simon, Quanda Francis, and Jimmy Li participated in PoliticsNY’s Democratic primary debate in the race to represent New York’s tenth congressional district. This offers a good opportunity to hear where the candidates stand on important issues.

NY1/WNYC 10th Congressional District Debate was aired on August 10. The top six candidates were able to articulate why they believe their experience and strengths would serve our district well.

“The pandemic put leaders to the test, and voters should take note of who stepped up.” POLITICO asked the top six NY-10’s Democratic primary candidates where they spent 2020 while Covid was shaking the lives of New Yorkers.

NY State Senate District 26 Candidates (updated September 12)

Primary Results

Andrew Gounardes won with 64.15% of the votes He will be facing Republican Brian Fox on November 8

David Yassky came in second with 32.6%

History of this race

Redistricting put two veteran politicians head to head in an uncertain primary race in this newly drawn 26th District. David Yassky had represented the 33rd City Council for seven years and it had included Greenpoint, Williamsburg, DUMBO, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope. Andrew Gounardes has represented the neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Manhattan Beach and Marine Park.

State Senator Andrew Gounardes Here are his community leaders and organizations’ endorsements.

Former City Council Member David Yassky He received the endorsement of Independent Neighborhood Democrats. I’m unable to find a list of endorsements from community leaders and organizations on his website. Will update when I do. Yassky was called out for fake endorsements in July.

Both candidates have shared their vision, priorities, and plans in the Gotham Gazette, an online publication covering New York policy and politics.

A primary debate for the State Senate District 26 was sponsored by Politics NY. Each candidate was able to express their point of view on issues such as public safety, property taxation and affordability, education, jobs, health care affordability, water front challenges, and child care crisis.

Next Post: Every Moment

“The state comes into existence for the sake of life, and continues to exist for the sake of good life”

Aristotle

Date & Times To Remember

Election Day
Tuesday November 2, 2021
6 am – 8 pm

In-Person Early Voting
Saturday Oct 23, 2021 – Sunday Oct 31, 2021
10 am – 8 pm
Poll Locations By County

New Jersey will open its first true statewide early voting period, with voters able to cast ballots in person on machines. Gov. Phil Murphy enacted a law mandating this system, which requires between three and 10 polling locations open daily in each county, depending on its population.

All counties have had to buy new voting equipment — including ballot printers, machines and electronic poll books — and are now setting them up and starting to train poll workers how to use them. An estimate from the New Jersey Association of Counties put the additional cost of this first year of early voting at $83 million. An excellent investment in guaranteeing access to the right to vote.

Vote By Mail
Steps, Links & Deadlines

Step One : Complete a Vote-by-Mail Ballot Application.

Then choose either
A. Mail it to your New Jersey County Clerk. If you mail it to your county clerk, a Vote By Mail Ballot will be mailed to your address. 
Residents interested in voting by mail need to make sure their mailed-in application is received by Tuesday, Oct. 26 (no less than seven days before the election). Please note that once you apply for a Mail in Ballot, you will not be permitted to vote by machine at your polling place in the same election. 

OR

B. Deliver your application to your New Jersey County Clerk. It  will be processed and a ballot issued while you wait . You may choose to vote at the time you receive your ballot or take the ballot with you.

Step Two:  How To Complete Your Ballot

1. Look inside the envelope you receive in the mail for these items:
The ballot
An inner envelope with an attached certificate
A mailing envelope

2. Completely fill in the oval next to each of your selections in blue or black ink.
3. Fill in and sign the certificate, keeping it attached to the inner envelope.
4. Place the ballot into the certificate envelope.
5. Then, place the certificate envelope into the mailing envelope.

Step Three  Choose one of three ways to return your ballot:

Mail: It must be postmarked on or before 8:00 p.m. November 2 and be received by your county’s Board of Elections on or before November 8.

Secure Ballot Drop Box: Place it in one of your county’s secure ballot drop boxes by 8:00 p.m. on November 2. Secure Ballot Drop Box locations

Board of Elections Office: Deliver it in person to your county’s Board of Elections Office by 8:00 p.m. on November 2.

Step Four Track Your Ballot

You can check on the status of your vote-by-mail ballot using the Track My Ballot Portal online or you can contact your County Clerk.

First time users have to create an account and will need either a Voter ID, a Driver’s License Number, or the last 4 digits of their SSN Number to validate voter registration status. (If you don’t know your Voter ID number, you can obtain it by going to “Voter Search” or contact your Superintendent of Elections or Commissioner of Registration)

The Two New Jersey Statewide Ballot Proposals

Public Question #1: Allows wagering on postseason college sport competitions held in N.J. and competitions in which a N.J.-based college team participates.

The Assembly approved a resolution, SCR-133, asking voters if they want to allow gamblers to bet on college sports involving New Jersey teams, as well as any collegiate games played within the state. These are currently prohibited under the state’s three-year old sports betting law and would need voter approval. Public Television’s New Jersey Spotlight profiles the public’s opinion on this.

Public Question #2: Allows organizations to use raffle money to raise money for their own organization.

There are a multitude of organizations that use raffles in the state of New Jersey.  Of these organizations, only veterans and senior citizen organizations are allowed to use proceeds from bingo or raffles to support their groups. The other organizations are prohibited from doing so. This would change that limitation.

The League of Women Voters of NJ has done an extensive analysis on the two public questions with reasons to vote “yes” and reasons to vote “no”.

Individualized Election Information

The League of Women Voters Education Fund is a national resource of voter information customized to your exact location. It includes information provided by all candidates for local, state and national races. Divisive politics have entered school board decisions , and it’s important to know where your school candidates stand. Use their resource before entering the polls. https://www.vote411.org

New Jersey Candidates

Governor

Democrat: Phil Murphy

Republican: Jack Ciattarelli

New Jersey’s contest, which along with Virginia’s is one of just two governor’s races in the country before next year’s midterm elections, is seen by some as an early barometer of voter sentiment. The New Jersey governor election is one of the first statewide contests to measure how voters feel about strict coronavirus mandates.  As of today, Oct 13, Gov. Phil Murphy has picked up the first newspaper endorsement of the 2021 governor’s race, winning the backing of the New York Daily News. Jack Ciattarelli has yet to receive a newspaper endorsement.

The last debate between these two candidates was Tuesday October 13. They fought  over COVID masks, school funding, abortion, and white privilege. Another heated argument involved the state budget. Ciattarelli has attacked Murphy for adding $11 billion in state spending over the last four years. And Ciattarelli has vowed to cut $10 billion in spending and reduce property taxes by revamping the state school funding formula.

Lieutenant Governor

Democrat: Sheila Oliver

Republican: Diane Allen

The only debate between these two candidates was Tuesday October 5. The two women seeking to be New Jersey’s lieutenant governor made the policy differences of their tickets clear. They disagreed on issues ranging from vaccine mandates to gun control. Another topic over which they sparred was the Murphy administration’s record on women. Both candidates said they support the bipartisan infrastructure deal, but disagreed over the larger spending package that Democrats are currently debating in Washington, with Oliver in favor of spending more on “human infrastructure” like programs for expanded child and day care.

There are other candidates for these two executive offices that represent the Green, Liberal and Socialist Work Parties .

New Jersey State Senate and Assembly Races

The New Jersey Senate has 40 members, and the New Jersey General Assembly has 80 members. One Senator and two Assembly Members will be elected from each of the 40 districts of New Jersey. Assembly members hold two year terms, while Senators hold four year terms.

These are the legislative districts profiled in the last Primary Post.  If your district is not listed below, check who is running in your State Senate and Assembly races. Research what candidate(s) support your values and concerns. Become involved with their political campaigns and donate, volunteer and support in any way you can. 

State Senate Races: Voters pick 1

Assembly Races: Voters pick 2

District 2

State Senate
Democrat: Vincent Mazzeo

Republican: Vincent Polistina (defeated one conservative Republican candidate)

State Assembly
Democrats John Armato & Caren Fitzpatrick

Republicans Don Guardian & Clair Swift

District 10

State Senate
Democrat: Emma Mammano

Republican: James Holzapfel

State Assembly
Democrats: Garitt Tony Kono & Mary Sharon Quilter

Republican:  John Catalano & Gregory McGuckin (Defeated two conservative Republican candidates)

District 16 For friends and family:
These are the general election candidates for both the Assembly and Senate
in the 16th District, which spans parts of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset counties.

State Senate
Democrat: Andrew Zwicker

Republican: Mike Pappas

Note: Mike Pappas defeated Conservative Republican Jeffrey Grant in the Republican Primary.
According to Grant’s website, he gained the following Republican votes in District 16:
Hunterdon County 1,753 votes 40%
Middlesex County 425 votes 46%
Mercer County 219 votes 63%
Somerset County 1,632 votes 30%
Total: 4,029 votes 36%

State Assembly
Democrats: Roy Freiman & Sadaf Jaffer

Republicans: Joseph Lukac & Vincent Panico

District 18

State Senate
Democrat: Patrick Diegnan Jr.

Republican: Vihal Patel

State Assembly
Democrats: Robert Karabinchak & Sterley Stanley

Republicans: Angela Fam & Melanie McCann Mott

District 20

State Senate
Democrat: Joseph Cryan

Republican: None

State Assembly
Democrats: Annette Quijano & Reginald Atkins

Republicans: None

District 21

State Senate
Democrat: Joseph Signorello

Republican: Jon Bramnick

State Assembly

Democrats:  Elizabeth Graner & Anjali Mehrotra
Republican: Nancy Munoz & Michele Matsikoudis

District 26

State Senate
Democrat: Christine Clarke

Republican: Joseph Pennachio

State Assembly
Democrats: Melissa Brown Blaeuer & Pamela Fadden

Republicans: Jay Weber & Christian Barranco

District 30

State Senate
Democrat: Dan Stinger

Republican: Robert Singer

State Assembly
Democrats: Stephen Dobbins &  Matthew Filosa

Republicans: Sean Kean &  Edward Thomson

District 37

State Senate
Democrat: Gordon Johnson

Republican: Michael Koontz

State Assembly
Democrats: Shama Haider & Ellen Park

Republicans: Edward Durfee &  Perley Patrick

Local Elections

For friends and family:
There are the general election candidates for specific areas of Hunterdon County

If you don’t live in Hunterdon County, find out which candidates are running in your County’s Board of Elections.  Some websites will list all candidates, while others will provide pdfs of your actual ballot. Research what candidate(s) support your values and concerns. Become involved with their political campaigns and donate, volunteer and support in any way you can. 

Hunterdon County

County Clerk (vote for 1)
Democrat: None
Republican: Mary Melfi

Board of County Commissioners (vote for 2)
Democrats: Patrick Heller, Mark Pomykacz

Republicans:  J. Matthew Holt, Susan Soloway

Clinton Town

Common Council (vote for 2)
Democrats: John Kashwick, Sherry Dineen

Republicans: Nicholas Bruno, Kyle Perloff

Clinton Township

Council (vote for 2)
Democrats: None
Republicans:Tom Kochanowksi, Marc Strauss

Council (vote for 1)
Democrat: None
Republican: William Glaser Jr. I could not find any information about this candidate. 

An opinion about the lock the present Republicans have on Clinton Township.

Flemington Borough

Council (vote for 2)
Democrats: Caitlin Giles McCormick, Elizabeth Rosetti

Republican: Alan Brewer, Betty Jane Czap

Lambertville

Mayor (vote for 1)

Democrat: Andrew Nowick  – I highly recommend this exceptional candidate whom I’ve known for many years as a brilliant, compassionate and outstanding problem solver.

Independent: Michael Menche

Raritan Township

Township Committee (vote for 2)
Democrats: Barbara Simoncelli, Hope Cohen

Republicans: Jeff Kuhl, Scott Sipos

Readington Township

Township Committee (vote for 2)
Democrats: Marvin Fields, Alan Harwick

Republicans: R. Juergen Huelsebusch, Adam Mueller

Next Post:

The Build Better Back Act – $3.5 Trillion Spending Plan and

The $1 Trillion Infrastructure Plan