It’s Election Day: Maywood voters hold do-over of 2021 race that ended in a tie

 

Good morning, New Jersey.  It’s Election Day, again, if you live in Maywood and the polls are now open.

After two candidates finished the November general election tied at 1,437 votes, local voters will return to the polls to fill a seat on the borough council.

Democratic incumbent Katherine Bennin faces Republican Danyel Cicarelli, a former school board member, in today’s special election.

And if you live in one of the 31 Bergen County municipalities that have secure ballot drop boxes, don’t be surprised if you see people voting.  An unclear statute requires all county drop boxes to be open, including those from far away, like Mahwah and North Arlington.

Maywood, a borough with 10,080 residents with Paramus to the north and Lodi and Hackensack to the south, has no ballot drop boxes.  It’s not one of the 31 municipalities selected by the Bergen County Board of Elections.

Maywood has a Democratic mayor; Democrats were defending a 6-0 council majority going into the 2021 election.  Conoscenti is now the lone Republican on the council and today’s election will determine whether the Democratic majority is 5-1 or 4-2.

Republican Samuel Conoscenti won the November election, ousting Democratic Councilman Douglas Herrick by 50 votes, 1,450 to 1,400.

Democrats make up 39% of the registered voters in Maywood; Republicans are 20% of the local electorate.

The close election wasn’t necessarily a Republican wave.  Gov. Phil Murphy carried the borough by 364 votes against GOP challenger Jack Ciattarelli, 1,702 to 1,338 (57%-43%.) State Sen. Joseph Lagana (D-Paramus) won Maywood by 349 votes.  In 2017

Murphy took Maywood in 2017 by 417 votes.  Turnout was 43% in 2017 and 44% in 2021.  Joe Biden won Maywood by 1,055 votes, 59%-40%, in the 2020 presidential election.

If Good morning, New Jersey.  It’s Election Day, again, if you live in Maywood and the polls are now open.

After two candidates finished the November general election tied at 1,437 votes, local voters will return to the polls to fill a seat on the borough council.

Democratic incumbent Katherine Bennin faces Republican Danyel Cicarelli, a former school board member, in today’s special election.

Republican Samuel Conoscenti won the November election, ousting Democratic Councilman Douglas Herrick by 50 votes, 1,450 to 1,400.

And if you live in one of the 31 Bergen County municipalities that have secure ballot drop boxes, don’t be surprised if you see people voting.  An unclear statute requires all county drop boxes to be open, including those from far away, like Mahwah and North Arlington.

Maywood, a borough with 10,080 residents with Paramus to the north and Lodi and Hackensack to the south, has no ballot drop boxes.  It’s not one of the 31 municipalities selected by the Bergen County Board of Elections.

Maywood has a Democratic mayor; Democrats were defending a 6-0 council majority going into the 2021 election.  Conoscenti is now the lone Republican on the council and today’s election will determine whether the Democratic majority is 5-1 or 4-2.

Democrats make up 39% of the registered voters in Maywood; Republicans are 20% of the local electorate.

The close election wasn’t necessarily a Republican wave.  Gov. Phil Murphy carried the borough by 364 votes against GOP challenger Jack Ciattarelli, 1,702 to 1,338 (57%-43%.) State Sen. Joseph Lagana (D-Paramus) won Maywood by 349 votes.

Murphy took Maywood in 2017 by 417 votes.  Turnout was 43% in 2017 and 44% in 2021.  Joe Biden won Maywood by 1,055 votes, 59%-40%, in the 2020 presidential election.

If Cicarelli wins the do-over election, it could be interpreted as a harbinger of what 2022 could look like in suburban towns in Bergen County.  Still, this is a faceoff between Bennin and Cicarelli; neither is encumbered by any top of the ticket.

The seat held by Bennin remains vacant until the winner is certified, which won’t occur until at least later this month after the return of ballot cure letters.

wins the do-over election, it could be interpreted as a harbinger of what 2022 could look like in suburban towns in Bergen County.  Still, this is a faceoff between Bennin and Cicarelli; neither is encumbered by any top of the ticket.

The seat held by Bennin remains vacant until the winner is certified, which won’t occur until at least later this month after the return of ballot cure letters.

As for the 31 drop boxes, election officials will need to be at each location at 8 PM to retrieve vote-by-mail ballots.  That typically involves one Democrat and one Republican, plus a law enforcement officer — about 93 people.