Hightstown Borough and East Windsor Township voters won’t have to wait until Nov. 8 to cast their ballots in the general election, under state law that permits early voting to begin Oct. 29, according to Mercer County officials.
Early voting will run from Oct. 29 to Nov. 6, said Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello. Voters can cast their ballots Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at any of seven designated in-person early voting locations in Mercer County.
Voters also have the option to vote in person on Election Day, Covello said. For mail-in votes, they may put their ballot in the U.S. mail, or drop it off at a secure drop box site in Mercer County around the clock seven days per week. A list of drop boxes is available at www.vote.nj.gov.
Hightstown Borough voters will choose a mayor and two Borough Council members, and East Windsor Township voters will choose three school board members to represent them on the East Windsor Regional School District Board of Education.
Hightstown Borough Councilwoman Susan Bluth, a Democrat, and Michael Bollentin, an Independent, are vying to become Hightstown Borough’s next mayor. Bollentin gained a place on the ballot by petition.
Incumbent Hightstown Borough Councilman Josh Jackson and his running mate, Todd Frantz, are running unopposed for two open seats on the Hightstown Borough Council. The two candidates are running on the Democratic Party ticket. The Republican Party did not field a slate of candidates.
For school board, incumbent school board members Bertrand Fougnies and Nicole LaRusso and newcomer Jagruti Patel are running unopposed for three open seats on the East Windsor Regional School District Board of Education. Seven of the nine school board seats are reserved for East Windsor Township residents and two are earmarked for Hightstown Borough residents.
Also on the ballot, U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, who is a Democrat, is seeking re-election to represent the 3rd Congressional District. He is being challenged by Republican Party nominee Bob Healey.
At the Mercer County Board of County Commissioners, Democratic incumbent Commissioner Nina D. Melker and her running mate, Cathleen Lewis, are squaring off against Republican Party nominees Michael Chianese and Andrew Kotula Jr.
Covello said that “no matter where you live in Mercer County, you can vote your specific ballot at any of the designated in-person early voting locations.”
In East Windsor, the early voting site is at the Hickory Corner branch of the Mercer County Library System at 138 Hickory Corner Road.
The Colonial Fire Co. firehouse at 801 Kuser Road in Hamilton Township; the Mercer County office park at 1440 Parkside Ave. in Ewing Township; and the Lawrence Township branch of the Mercer County Library System at 2751 Brunswick Pike – on the corner of Brunswick Pike and Darrah Lane – are designated as early voting locations.
Also, the Pennington Fire Co. firehouse at 120 Bromel Place in Pennington Borough; Unit 260 at the Princeton Shopping Center at 301 N. Harrison St.; and the Trenton Fire Department at 244 Perry St. in Trenton round out the designated early voting locations, officials said.