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Middlesex County 2026 General Election: Candidates and Voting Information
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. In-person early voting runs October 24 through November 1 at 10 locations across Middlesex County.
Middlesex County voters will elect a U.S. Senator, a member of Congress, the County Surrogate, two members of the Board of County Commissioners, and local officials in many towns. This page lists the Democratic candidates on the ballot and explains every way to vote.
Progress in Middlesex County starts with you. Make your plan to vote today.
Problems voting? Call the MCDO Election Protection Hotline at (732) 906-3680
HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?
CONTACT US!
MIDDLESEX COUNTY
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
266 Fernwood Ave
Edison, NJ 08837
info@mcdonj.org
(732) 906-3680
(732) 912-7334
MIDDLESEX COUNTY
COUNTY CLERK
Election results
Sign up for voting by mail
Request duplicate vote by mail ballot
26 Kennedy Blvd, Ste B
East Brunswick, NJ 08816
middlesexvotes@co.middlesex.nj.us
(732) 745-4202
(732) 745–3642
MIDDLESEX COUNTY
BOARD OF ELECTIONS
Receiving and counting vote by mail (VBM) and provisional ballots
Offices Recently Moved Down the Street
26 Kennedy Blvd, Suite B
East Brunswick, NJ 08816
elections@co.middlesex.nj.us
(732) 745-3471
(732) 296-6560
Democratic Candidates for the November 3, 2026 General Election
Federal Offices
U.S. Senate
Cory Booker
For United States Senator from New Jersey
Cory Booker has represented New Jersey in the U.S. Senate since 2013 and is running for reelection. Every Middlesex County voter will see this race on their ballot.
Follow Senator Booker
U.S. House of Representatives, 6th District
Frank Pallone, Jr.
For United States Representative, 6th Congressional District
Frank Pallone, Jr. has represented New Jersey in Congress since 1988 and is running for reelection.
The 6th District includes Carteret, Edison, Highland Park, Metuchen, New Brunswick, part of Old Bridge, Perth Amboy, Piscataway, Sayreville, South Amboy, South Plainfield and Woodbridge. Voters in these towns will see this race on their ballot.
Follow Frank Pallone, Jr.
U.S. House of Representatives, 12th District
Dr. Adam Hamawy
For United States Representative, 12th Congressional District
Dr. Adam Hamawy is the Democratic candidate for Congress in the 12th District.
The 12th District includes Cranbury, Dunellen, East Brunswick, Helmetta, Jamesburg, Middlesex Borough, Milltown, Monroe, North Brunswick, part of Old Bridge, Plainsboro, South Brunswick, South River and Spotswood. Voters in these towns will see this race on their ballot.
Follow Dr. Adam Hamawy
County Offices
Middlesex County Surrogate
Claribel Cortes
For Middlesex County Surrogate
Claribel Cortes has served as the Middlesex County Surrogate since 2021. She is the first woman to hold the office and the first Latina constitutional officer in Middlesex County history.
The Surrogate serves as judge of the county’s Surrogate’s Court, which probates wills, administers estates, appoints guardians for minors, and processes adoptions. Voters in all 25 Middlesex County towns will see this race on their ballot.
Cortes took office during the COVID-19 pandemic with a goal of making the Surrogate’s Office a resource for families facing unexpected loss. She leads free, bilingual “Make-A-Will” workshops at senior centers across the county. Her office also organizes the county’s annual Adoption Day and helped complete 143 adoptions in 2023 and 2024, welcoming children into permanent homes across Middlesex County.
Cortes is running for re-election to keep the Surrogate’s Office accessible for every Middlesex County family.
Follow Claribel Cortes
Middlesex County Commissioners
The Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners is the county’s governing body. The Board sets the county budget and oversees county roads and bridges, parks, public health, transportation and social services.
Voters in all 25 Middlesex County towns elect commissioners countywide to three-year terms. Two seats are on the ballot this year, so every voter can select two commissioner candidates. Voting for both Democrats, Leslie Koppel and Charles Tomaro, keeps two experienced leaders working on the county’s infrastructure and finances.
Leslie Koppel
For Middlesex County Commissioner
Leslie Koppel has served on the Board of County Commissioners since 2017 and chairs its Finance Committee. She is running for reelection.
A lifelong Monroe Township resident, she previously served more than a decade on the Monroe Township Council, including as Council President.
Under Commissioner Koppel’s leadership, Middlesex County has kept its AAA bond rating, cut annual debt payments by 46 percent, and built a $114 million reserve fund. This helped the County deliver $10.9 million in relief grants to over 400 local small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic and commit $1 million each year to affordable housing for homeless residents and veterans.
Commissioner Koppel is running for reelection to keep county finances strong while investing in the roads, parks, and services residents use every day.
Learn more about Koppel’s record as Middlesex County Commissioner.
Follow Leslie Koppel
Charles Tomaro
For Middlesex County Commissioner
Charles Tomaro has served on the Board of County Commissioners since 2011 and chairs its Infrastructure Management Committee. He is running for reelection.
A lifelong Edison resident, he has spent three decades in local public service, including as Edison Township Council President.
Commissioner Tomaro led the County’s Sustainable Energy Master Plan, and 39,000 solar panels now save the County about $2.5 million a year. Under his leadership, Middlesex County has opened four new parks in Perth Amboy, New Brunswick and Edison, renovated Tamarack Golf Course, and preserved more than 13,000 acres of land, including 56 farms.
Commissioner Tomaro is running for reelection to keep building and caring for the parks, open spaces, and infrastructure Middlesex families rely on.
Learn more about Tomaro’s record as Middlesex County Commissioner.
Follow Charles Tomaro
Local Offices
CARTERET MAYOR
Dan Reiman
CARTERET COUNCIL
Randy Krum
Susan Naples
CRANBURY TWP COMMITTEE
Tom Szczur
EAST BRUNSWICK COUNCIL
Kevin McEvoy
James Wendell
Dana Consoli-Winston
HIGHLAND PARK COUNCIL
Jason Postelnik
Matthew Hersh
JAMESBURG COUNCIL
Thomas T. Goletz
Pamela E. Parker
METUCHEN COUNCIL
Vinita Jethwani
Chuck Lopez
MIDDLESEX BORO COUNCIL
Vincent Rouse
MILLTOWN COUNCIL
Keith W. Cook
Rachel Freid
NEW BRUNSWICK MAYOR
Jim Cahill
NEW BRUNSWICK COUNCIL
Rebecca Escobar
Petra Gaskins
Matthew Ferguson
NORTH BRUNSWICK COUNCIL
Robert “Bob” Davis
Rajesh Mehta
PERTH AMBOY COUNCIL
Milady Tejeda
Hailey Cruz Batista
Ken Gonzalez
PISCATAWAY WARD 1 COUNCIL
Shantell Cherry
PISCATAWAY WARD 2 COUNCIL
Dennis Espinosa
PISCATAWAY WARD 3 COUNCIL
Sharon Carmichael
PISCATAWAY WARD 4 COUNCIL
Michele Lombardi
PLAINSBORO TWP COMMITTEE
Reeta Sharma
SAYREVILLE COUNCIL
Dexter Thomas
Bernard Bailey
SOUTH AMBOY MAYOR
Anthony Conrad
SOUTH AMBOY COUNCIL
Michael “Mickey” Gross
Judith Raskoshin
SOUTH BRUNSWICK MAYOR
Charlie Carley
SOUTH BRUNSWICK COUNCIL
Kenneth Bierman
SOUTH RIVER COUNCIL
Anita Chadha
Madelina Rivera
Important Dates for the November General Election
OCTOBER 21
Sample ballots mailed to voters.
OCT 24 – NOV 1
In-person early voting at any of the 10 county locations.
No appointment needed
OCTOBER 27
Deadline to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot.
County Clerk must receive mailed applications or before this date.
NOVEMBER 2 by 3 PM
Deadline to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot in person at the County Clerk’s Office
26 Kennedy Blvd, Suite B, East Brunswick
NOV 3: Election Day
Polls open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Mailed ballots must be postmarked by this date, and drop box ballots must be in by 8 p.m.
NOVEMBER 9
Deadline for the county to receive mailed ballots postmarked by November 3.
NOVEMBER 14
Deadline for the County Board of Elections to receive cure forms.
NOVEMBER 18
General Elections results certified.
Link to election results will be added on Election Day and updated daily.
How to Vote in Middlesex County
How to vote by mail
The County Clerk’s Office began mailing vote-by-mail ballots on September 19 to voters on the permanent mail-in list and voters who recently requested one 45 days before the election.
Check whether or not you should be receiving a vote by mail ballot by looking up your voter profile on the NJ Division of Elections website.
Sign in to the NJ Division of Elections voter portal and select Mail-In Ballot History (see image below).
You will see the information for the recent at the top of the next page if you are expected to receive a vote by mail ballot for the upcoming election (example below).
If you have not received your vote by mail ballot by October 1, 2026, fill out and send in a replacement ballot request form before November 1, 2026, to receive a replacement vote by mail ballot. Call the County Clerk’s Office (732-745-4202) with questions.
Your vote by mail ballots must be returned by 8:00 p.m. on November 3 to be counted.
No postage is necessary to vote by mail. The fastest way to make sure your ballot counts is by returning it to one of Middlesex County’s 34 drop boxes.
If you still have your vote by mail ballot, drop it off in one of the 34 drop boxes in Middlesex County before 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, to make sure it is received in time to count!! DO NOT PLACE IT IN THE MAIL UNLESS YOU CAN GUARANTEE THAT THE POST OFFICE WILL POSTMARK IT ON OR BEFORE NOVEMBER 3, 2026! Use the map below to get directions to a drop box closest to you.
Use the map below to get directions to a drop box closest to you.
Your vote by mail ballots must be returned by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day (November 3) to be counted.
IF YOU NO LONGER HAVE YOUR VOTE BY MAIL BALLOT, GO TO YOUR ASSIGNED POLLING PLACE TO CAST A PROVISIONAL BALLOT!! Call our Election Protection Hotline (732-906-3680) if you experience any issues voting on Election Day.
How to vote early in person
New Jersey passed a law in 2021 (P.L. 2021, c.40) permitting in-person early voting in New Jersey for primary and general elections.
Middlesex County voters can go to any of the ten (10) in-person early voting locations throughout the county using the same voting machine available on Election Day before any June or November election, regardless of where they are registered to vote.
No appointment is necessary when going to vote early and in person for the November 3rd General Election Below are the ten (10) early voting locations in Middlesex County:
East Brunswick Community Center, 721 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick
Minnie B. Veal Recreation Center, 1070 Grove Ave, Edison
Monroe Public Library, 4 Municipal Plaza, Monroe
New Brunswick Hub Teen Center, 411 Joyce Kilmer Ave, New Brunswick
Old Bridge Public Library, 1 Old Bridge Plaza, Old Bridge
Jankowski Community Center, 1 Olive Street, Perth Amboy
John F. Kennedy Public Library, 500 Hoes Lane, Piscataway
Sayreville Senior Center, 423 Main Street, Sayreville
South Brunswick Community Center, 124 New Road, Monmouth Junction
Acacia Youth Center (formerly Hungarian Manor), 95 Port Reading Ave, Woodbridge
How to vote on election day
Polling locations will be open from 6 AM to 8 PM on Election Day. Make sure that you go vote at your assigned polling location. Click on the video below for instructions on how to use the voting machines that will be available at your polling place.
Contact our Election Protection Hotline if you have any questions or experience any issues voting: (732) 906-3680.
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Send us an email to connect with a local Municipal Chair or local campaign!