Change In Ballot Format: Presidential Primary Ballot Tues Jun. 4, 2024

Primary Election Day is tomorrow Tuesday, June 4, 2024. This is the Presidential Primary Election, United States Senate Election, House of Representatives, Hudson County Surrogate Election, and Town of Harrison County Committee Election.  The Hudson County Surrogate and the Town of Harrison County Committee candidates are uncontested elections.

It is the first time that the candidates are not placed on a column line on the Democratic side of the ballot. This is a significant change that will enable candidates who are not on “County Line” meaning the incumbent candidates endorsed and supported by the Hudson County Democratic Organization are placed together in one Column, for example, Column A. Candidates are now placed by office which each candidate running for a particular office is placed in a column enabling a Voter to see who is running for a particular office.  There will be no longer placing candidates on the far right of ballots like Column D or H.

Tammy Murphy's Legacy

One legacy of Tammy Murphy, Governor Phil Murphy’s wife, running for United States Senate due to current and long-time United States Senator Robert Menendez’s indictment on corruption charges, was that House of Representatives Andy Kim ran for Senator Mendendez’s seat and challenged the party Lines (in Hudson County’s case a Column) when Tammy Murphy entered the US Senate race and was endorsed by incumbent Democratic County lines including Hudson County. The court agreed that placing candidates on a Line (or Column) was unconstitutional and outlawed it thus changing the tradition of how candidates are placed on Ballots.  This among the other causes will place Tammy Murphy in the history books not only as the Governor’s wife but as an individual who made a difference in people’s lives in New Jersey. Rumor has it that Tammy Murphy is as astute as they come in politics and has indirectly assisted in setting her husband’s agenda. 

Hudson County Complies With Judge's OrderSample Ballot Of Town of Harrison Ward 2 District 1

Of note, the County of Hudson complied with the Judge’s order outlawing Party Lines on Ballots.  The Republican Party was not invited to partake in the US House of Representatives and Senate-candidate, Andy Kim’s challenge of the Party Line, and thus an anomaly exists in the Primary Ballot.  The Democratic side of the Ballot complies with the Judge’s Order.  The Republican side of the Ballot continues as a Party Line format ballot and as it would turn out the Hudson County election officials placed former President and Presidential Candidate Donald Trump on Line D despite the other candidates on Line A through C not having a full slate of candidates, a reason used by Hudson County election officials to award usually Line A or Line B to the Hudson County Democratic Organization in all prior elections.  Full slates get the far left columns but not if you are a Republican in Hudson County. One question, where was the Hudson County Republican Party organization when the Primary Ballot drawing was held and why didn’t they contest the placement of their full slate on Column D?

Town of Harrison Elections

In Harrison, NJ, there are no Mayor or Council races this year. The next local Harrison race will be a Mayor & Council Primary Election in June of 2026 and a General Election in November of 2026. Local candidates used to run every two years but the law governing the Town’s election was changed to every four years for Mayor & Council.  The Town Council is composed of the Mayor and eight Council members, two per the Town of Harrison’s four Wards. The Council elections are staggered.  One group of four Council members runs the same year with the Mayor heading up the ticket.  The second group of four Council members run without the Mayor heading the ticket the following year.

Candidates on the Ballot

If you are registered to vote, you should have received your Sample Ballot. Review the Ballot so you are familiar with the candidates and where they appear on the Ballot.

Here are the Candidates Running in the Election in the order they appear on the ballot.

President of the United States

Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Teresa Bukovinac

UnCommited

US Senate

Lawrence Hamm

Andy Kim

Patricia Campos-Medina

House of Representatives

Kyle For Jasey

Ravindea S. Balla

Rob Menendez (Son of Senator Robert Menendez)

Surrogate

Tilo Rivas

No Opponent Except for Write In

Hudson County Committee Members

First Ward District 1

Nuvia L. Martins

Michael Cooper

First Ward District 2

Esperanza Mata

Mark A. Kowalski

First Ward District 3

Shannon M. Gallagher

Michael F. Gallagher

Second Ward District 1

Patricia A. Pettigrew

Arthur Pettigrew

Second Ward District 2

Ann Diaco

Joseph Diaco

Second Ward District 3

Dina M. Villalta

Jordan Villalta

Third Ward District 1

Maureen K. Gilmore

Joseph J. Woods

Third Ward District 2

Donna Flatley

Syed Nadeen Haider

Third Ward District 3

Kelli A. Mathewson

Laurence J. Kelly

Fourth Ward District 1

Cynthia J. Dolaghan

Anthony S. DaCosta

Fourth Ward District 2

Vanessa A. Gallagher

John T. Reyes

Fourth Ward District 3

Andrea Choffo

Daniel J. Choffo

Deadline for Submitting to Run in November

It's worth noting that Tuesday’s Primary Election Day is also the deadline to submit petitions to run as an independent candidate in the November 2024 General Election. Those interested in running for any of the offices on the ballot (except for County Committee) must get their petition signed and submit it to the Hudson County Clerk, 257 Cornelison Avenue, 4th Floor, Jersey City, NJ, up until 4 p.m. on June 4, 2024, to be on the November General Election Ballot. For example, current United States Senator Robert Menendez is expected to file a Petition to run as an Independent candidate for his current Senate office seat on Tuesday, June 4, 2024.

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Despite there being no local Town of Harrison contested races in the Primary, you should go out to vote for the contested races.  This is after all a Presidential Election year so you should become familiar with the voting process and also demonstrate to your elected officials that you are interested in your community and that you will take the time to exercise your constitutional right to vote.  Many persons have died in the fight to have the right to vote.  If you vote, your complaint will be considered.  If you don’t vote, your complaint will be ignored.  In Harrison, the latter statements are very true. If you are not registered to vote in Harrison, you can register now for future elections. The Voting machines being used in this election and future elections is a new voting machine that provides a paper record of a vote in case of a challenge. The machines will display the ballot on a video display in the format that is on the sample ballot mailed to voters.

The Power of Your Vote

Did you know that there is one building in the Town of Harrison that if everyone registered to vote had voted back in Harrison’s Mayoral race in 2022 those residents would have elected the then 2^nd Ward Councilman Anselmo Millan as Mayor of Harrison?  The only problem was those residents did not exercise their right to Vote.

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