Vote
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
MARGATE - Today, May 2, is the last day to apply by mail for a mail-in ballot for the May 9 Board of Commissioners election. Mail-in ballot requests sent through the mail must be received by the Atlantic County Clerk no later than seven days before the election.
However, voters have until 3 p.m. May 8 to submit a mail-in ballot request in person at the Atlantic County Clerk's Office at the Historic Atlantic County Courthouse, 5903 Main Street in Mays Landing. Voters may apply for the mail-in ballot and vote in person at the Clerk's Office. A sick or confined person may use an authorized messenger.
Mail-in ballots may also be placed in the drop box at Margate's Historic City Hall, 1 S. Washington Ave., no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day. Access is available 24/7, but the drop box will be locked when the polls close.
You can track your vote at nj.gov/state/elections/index.shtml by signing up using the Track Your Ballot feature.
The polls will be open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 9 for voting in person on the county's new electronic machines. Voters will cast their ballots at two polling places. Districts 1, 3 and 4 will vote at the Eugene A. Tighe Middle School, 7804 Amherst Ave., using the entrance at the rear of the school on Monmouth Avenue. Those in District 2 will vote at the William H. Ross School, 8103 Winchester Ave.
For further information, call Margate City Clerk Johanna Casey at 609-822-2605.
There are two slates of candidates running in the non-partisan election to fill three open seats on the Board of Commissioners.
Commissioner Maury Blumberg is seeking to maintain the seat he has held for the last 16 years. He is joined by businessman Michael Collins, who owns True Value Hardware, and current Board of Education President Cathy Horn, an Atlantic City High School psychologist. The trio formed their slate under the Friends of Margate 2023 slogan, but they appear on the ballot under Experience and Vision for Margate's Future.
They are being challenged by the Margate Deserves Better slate, which includes Calvin Tessler, an English and history professor who ran unsuccessfully in the last election, Certified Public Accountant Aaron Arch Singer and IT executive Patrice Tish Calvarese.
The Friends of Margate team has arranged for courtesy transportation to and from the polling place, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The service is being offered by JitneyTime AnyTime, owned by Pat Tkacz, with handicapped accessibility and seating for 13 people at a time.
Everyone has the right to vote and therefore every voter should have access to transportation to and from their polling centers, candidate Michael Collins said in a release. This includes those that are elderly, those who do not have access to transportation, or those who are handicapped.
All voters of Margate are eligible to access the service regardless of political affiliation. Reservations are available by emailing [email protected] until May 8.
The cutoff date for information to be published by Downbeach.com is noon Friday, May 5.
