Will N.J. break voting records? Strong turnout, relief at polls after a vitriolic campaign.

The red-white-and-blue “I voted” stickers were already gone from the polling location at the Millburn Public Library long before lunchtime — an early indicator of how many people had already voted in what many see as one of the most consequential elections of their lifetimes.
“Early voting was supplied with 80,000 and used them all,” Essex County Clerk Christopher Durkin said. “A delivery of stickers is being distributed now.”
There would be a lot more needed before the day was over.
From small hamlets to the state’s big cities, New Jersey residents went out to cast their ballots on Election Day — their final opportunity to make their choice between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump — after a week of early voting.
“All is well here in Mercer County,” said County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello, who had to deal with a nightmare in 2022 on Election Day when their voting tabulation system inexplicably crashed. This year, she said, there were no problems of any kind reported and lines were under control.
Still, there were a few voting issues reported, including problems at a polling site in Franklin Township in Somerset County.
“Like in any election, some machines malfunctioned,” said county spokesman Nathan Rudy.
“Our techs went out and during that time they used emergency ballots, which is a paper ballot treated like voting on a machine,” he said.
Somerset County uses touch-screen electronic voting machines.
The paper ballots were placed in secure bags and later returned to the county’s Board of Elections for counting. No votes were lost.
Burlington County also reported technical issues at the opening of the polls at several locations early in the day. But officials said those issues were later resolved.
Not all polling locations, though, had people waiting — likely a result of the early voting all last week. In Spotswood, for example, only a handful of voters scattered in and out of the Knights of Columbus Hall early in the morning, although that turned into a steady stream of voters throughout the early afternoon.
One of those voters, who did not want to give his full name, said “change” was his biggest issue this election, as well as needing to improve the economy and drive down high costs. He described this election as different because it was very short, adding that he would have liked more debates.
Down on Long Beach Island, a thick fog rolled in as a steady stream of voters came to cast their ballots at the Terrace First United Methodist Church in Beach Haven Terrace around 7 a.m.
Among them were George Muschal, 76, the former mayor of Trenton, and his wife Theresa, who relocated here four months ago. The two registered independents said they cast their votes for Trump.
“I am tired of feeding everybody else,” said Theresa Muschal, 68. “I don’t want open borders. I just want to live out the rest of my life in peace.”
Asked if they thought their candidate would win, she responded, “Believe in miracles.”
Two blocks away, Doug, who did not want to share his last name, was walking his mini golden doodle, Stella. The retired man said he was heading to the church to vote later in the morning.
“Kamala,” he said of his pick for the White House. “We feel she’s the better choice. Trump is bad for our country, bad for women, for our kids. There is no doubt.”
Up to the north in Jersey City outside a polling site at a senior citizens’ complex on Montgomery Street, Jyoti Gupta said she’d cast her ballot to “help make a difference.”
Originally from India, Gupta came to the U.S. in 2007 as a student and became an American citizen five years ago. “It’s the land of opportunity,” she said. “I love this country.”
She declined to say whom she’d voted for, but said she was most concerned about inflation and stagnant wages.
In Central Jersey, at the municipal complex in East Brunswick, Ben Cheung had just cast his vote to protect “the institution of Democracy” after a campaign season he described as very stressful.
“I felt like the institution has to be protected,” he said. “That was my biggest concern.”
According to a new Rutgers-Eagleton Poll released Tuesday morning as the polls opened, New Jersey voters ranked the economy as their top issue, followed by immigration, reproductive rights and “character,” including candidate competence and saving or preserving democracy.
Ashley Koning, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling, said time and time again, the economy is top of mind for voters in the Garden State, regardless of election cycle — though partisanship does influence whether a voter places it as their top concern.
“While independents and especially Republicans put the economy first and immigration second, the economy comes in third place for Democrats, who are more concerned about a candidate’s character and reproductive issues,” she said.
In terms of abortion’s legality, one-in-three voters surveyed by the Rutgers-Eagleton Poll said it should be legal in all cases and 44% believed it should be legal in most cases. Only 15% said it should be illegal in most cases and 5% say it should be illegal in all cases, the survey of 1,018 adults contacted from Oct. 15 to Oct. 22 said.
Abortion, in fact, was on the minds of many of those interviewed at the Christa McAuliffe School in the Jersey City Heights neighborhood, where some had to wait in line to cast their ballots amid a turnout that seemed brisker than usual for a mid-morning.
“Woman’s reproductive rights was really important and immigration because I’m an immigrant, said Urvy Kewon, who just became a citizen and was voting in her first election.
She was excited by the campaign, characterizing Harris as coming out “much stronger than I thought she would have, especially in the debates.”
Others, though, had a less rosy assessment of the presidential campaign.
“(It’s) like a fight between middle schoolers,” complained Brendan Gibbons, who said he voted to exercise his right. “I can’t stand both of the main candidates. Things gotta get worse before they get better. I don’t have a lot of hope for the political system right now. I think we’re losing our way.”
Dane Calcagni, who characterized the 2024 campaign as a parody that might be seen on Saturday Night Live, said his vote was guided by whether or not there will be a reliable person in charge.
“With Trump, we can’t trust him again. With Kamala, she has a good track record, that’s something I can trust, and trust is everything right now.”
Not far away in Hoboken, outside a polling location at Monroe Gardens, Sharon Mead, 72, said she was a staunch Trump supporter, explaining that he was the “only one” addressing the border and food safety.
“But we canceled each other out,” she added, gesturing a her husband of four decades, who was standing beside her in a New York Yankees hat.
“I don’t think the nation can handle another four years of Trump,” he said.
“You mean Biden, right?” Sharon prompted, her arm looped through his. He shook his head.
As to how they navigate political differences as a couple, David quipped, “I keep my mouth shut.”
“We don’t scream at each other,” Sharon corrected him. “We do need to have conversations about this.”
They were both pleased with their choice.
“It’s a matter of doing yourself the grace of deciding what is worth holding onto,” he said, “and getting rid of what isn’t.”
NJ Advance Media staff writers Larry Higgs, Brent Johnson, Susan K. Livio, and Karin Price Mueller contributed to this report.
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AJ McDougall may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X at @oldmcdougall.
Ted Sherman may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X @TedShermanSL.