Midterm Election Day in Ocean County

As Election Days go this one is not all that interesting or riveting although on a national level midterm races could give Republicans control of the Senate for the first time since 2006 while increasing their majority in the House of Representatives. 

There is a Senate seat up for grabs here in New Jersey with Democrat Cory Booker expected to have little trouble against Republican Jeff Bell in a race that really has attracted little interest.

The congressional races have been a bit more heated; depending on what district you live and vote in.In the 3^rd Congressional District, which covers much of Ocean County you have Republican Tom MacArthur facing Democrat Aimee Belgard for the seat occupied by former pro football player Jon Runyan, who served two terms but is not seeking re-election.

This one has been a bit nasty at times and I’m glad today is Election Day because I don’t have to listen to any more of those annoying and disturbing robocalls.I must have received about ten of them in the last few days, most focused on this race and I find it hard to believe any of them would sway votes in their favor.

The only race on a county level in Ocean County is for a spot on the Board of Chosen Freeholders with longtime Republican incumbent Joe Vicari facing a challenge from Democrat Timothy E. Ryan in a race that has been more about ethics then issues. Republicans have maintained control of all county offices for what seems like decades and in truth there has been little drama on Election Day but some think this Freeholder race could be more interesting than ones in the past.

Depending on where you live you may also have elections for seats on your local Board of Education.  It was only a couple of years ago that School Board elections were moved from its customary April date to November to save money and get more people involved in the voting process as the April election often resulted in small turnouts.

I was in favor of the change at that time but since then I’ve had a change of heart because the races for school board often get lost on the ballot with all the other elections and questions to decide. The result is many uninformed voters with no interest in the school election just vote for the sake of voting and likely have little or no idea what they are voting for.  That to me is not a step in the right direction.

Regardless today is Election Day and it’s your right to vote….or not vote.  Polls are open until 8pm.