See hopewellvalleynews.com late Tuesday night for results
By Ruth Luse, Managing Editor
Hopewell Valley registered voters will join others across the nation and in their own state on Tuesday, when citizens will go to the polls — from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. — to cast ballots for national, state, county and local officials.
On the local level, there are races for municipal governing body seats in Hopewell Township and Pennington Borough.
— In Hopewell Township, candidates for two seats (three-year terms) on the Hopewell Township Committee are: Matthew Holley (Republican), Eileen McGinnis (Republican), John Murphy (incumbent Democrat) and Vanessa Sandom (incumbent Democrat)
— Voters in Hopewell Township also are being asked to say yes or no to a ballot question that, if OK’d, would increase the tax levy by 1 cent per $100 of assessed valuation for open space, farmland and historic preservation. As noted on sample ballots, money would be spent on land acquisition for conservation purposes, farmland acquisition for farmland preservation purposes, acquisition or preservation of historic properties, structures, facilities, areas or objects; or maintenance of lands acquired for conservation, or payment of debt service on indebtedness issued or incurred by the township for any of the purposes noted above. The full text can be found on sample ballots.
— In Pennington Borough, candidates for two seats (three-year terms) on Pennington Borough Council are: Mark Blackwell (Republican), Glen Griffiths (incumbent Democrat), Stewart Schwab (Republican) and E. Weed Tucker (incumbent Democrat).
— In Hopewell Borough, two incumbent Republicans, Robert Lewis and Schuyler Morehouse are seeking two three-year terms. There are no Democrats on the ballot.
— In Mercer County, voters will choose a sheriff (three-year term). Candidates are: Keith C. Larkin (Democrat), of Hamilton Township; and James J. McSorley Jr. (Republican), also of Hamilton Township.
They will choose two members (three-year terms) of the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Candidates are: Democrats Lucy Walter, of Ewing, and John Cimino, of Hamilton Township; and Republican Thomas R. White. They also will pick one member for a one-year unexpired term. Candidates are: Daniel R. Benson (Democrat), of Hamilton Township, and Cindy W. Randazzo (Republican), of Princeton.
— Voters will choose a member of the U.S. House or Representatives for the 12th Congressional District. Canddiates are: Rush Holt (incumbent Democrat), of Hopewell Township; Alan R. Bateman (Republican), of Holmdel, and David Corsi (Common Sense Ideas), of Oceanport.
— They also will pick a member of the U.S. Senate (six-year term). Candidates are: Frank Lautenberg (incumbent Democrat), of Cliffside Park; Dick Zimmer (Republican), of Flemington; Daryl M. Brooks (Poor People’s Campaign), of Trenton; Sara J. Lobman (Socialist Workers Party), of Newark; J. M. Carter (God We Trust), of Trenton; Jason Scheurer (Libertarian Party), of West Windsor; and Jeffrey Boss (Boss for Senate), of Guttenberg.
— And, finally, voters will help pick the next president and vice president of the United States (four-year terms). Candidates are: Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden; Republicans John McCain and Sarah Palin; Socialiost Party USA, Brian Moore and Stewart Alexander; Socialist Workers Party, Roger Calero and Alyson Kennedy; Socialiam & Liberation, Gloria La Riva and Eugene Puryear; Independent, Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez; Green Party, Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente; Libertarian party, Bob Barr and Wayne A. Root; Vote Here, Jeffery Boss and Andrea Marie Psoras; and Constitution Party, Chuck Baldwin and Darrell Castle.
— New Jersey voters also will say yes or no to two public questions.
— The first would amend the state constitution and would require voter approval of new laws that allow the state to borrow money by issuing bonds through any state agency or independent authority backed by a pledge of an annual appropriation to pay the principal and interest on the bonds. New laws to allow the issuance of these state authority bonds for state government purposes would be subject to voter approval.
— The second also would amend the state constitution and would provide that the method of selection and appointment of certain Municipal Court judges would be set by statute, rather than be provided for in the constitution. These judges might include judges of joint municipal courts and judges of central municipal courts with jurisdiction extending to the territorial boundaries of a county.
Both questions and interpretative statements may be found on voters’ sample ballots.
More in-depth information about both also is available at www.lwvnj.org.

