One might not have known it was election day in Union Township if not for the plane flying above.
“I just want to first thank them for coming and understanding the importance and significance of going to the ballot box,” Way, who is also the Secretary of State, said outside the school.
Linden Mayor Derek Armstead, whose support plane flew over the polling station, was the only candidate advertised in the vicinity – no yard signs or banners represented any of the 11 Democratic candidates competing in Tuesday’s special primary election. Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver is the frontrunner in the election, which was triggered by the April death of Payne.
McIver’s endorsements from the Essex and Union County Democratic Committees as well as Gov. Phil Murphy and Senator Cory Booker make her the candidate to beat. Armstead, Hudson County Commissioner Jerry Walker (D-Jersey City), former East Orange Councilwoman Brittany Claybrooks, and state economic development official Darryl Godfrey are other top candidates.
About 20 election workers filled the school’s gym at 11 a.m., while just a handful of voters trickled in and out during Way’s visit.
Way, who is acting governor until Gov. Phil Murphy returns from Germany on Tuesday, said more than 10,000 votes had been cast in the election by 11 a.m. Tuesday, including vote by mail and early vote counts
“It has been relatively good turnout in terms of the [early vote] count and also the vote-by-mail count,” Way said.
The winner of Tuesday’s Democratic primary will face Republican Carmen Bucco in a Sept. 18 general election, a race the Democratic nominee is all but certain to win. They’ll then serve out the remainder of Payne’s current term; the choice of who will take Payne’s spot on the November ballot for a full term will be decided at a party convention on Thursday.