Election Day voters enter a Cumberland County voting station at a fire station in Vineland, part of the closely-watched 2nd Congressional District, where Republican U.S. Rep Jeff Van Drew is challenged by Democratic Cape May Mayor Zack Mullock. Photo Credit: Aidan Vanhoof/NJ State House News Service.
By Shohini Mitra, Zo Terrana and Aidan Vanhoof
NJ State House News Service
LEBANON, N.J. — Early morning voters trickled into the Lebanon Municipal Building at 7 a.m. Tuesday to cast their votes in the 2026 midterms, dressed in casual wear, work clothes and hoodies to fend off the brisk morning air.
Janice Park, of Lebanon, arrived early. “I am an independent but I voted Democrat all across the board,” she said walking to her car after casting her ballot.
Tiama Anderson said she was motivated to vote because of the country’s current situation.
“I decided to vote just to make a difference in the world,” said Anderson, also from Lebanon.“I feel like it’s really negative and there’s a lot of violence and just negativity going on all around and I want to see a difference. I want to see a change in the economy as well.”
In East Brunswick, voters lined up outside Memorial Elementary School.
Mary Pan, a poll worker, said, “I vote because it is my right as a citizen of the United States to vote so I make sure I exercise that right. I’ve been doing voter registration drives, I’ve been encouraging people to vote early, vote by mail, and also to vote on the day of election.”
A mother of two Rutgers University students, Pan said, “I try to reach out to Gen Z, because I don’t think that they realize how important it is for them to vote for things that they feel are important. Otherwise, older Gen X and boomers are voting and a lot of the things that they care about are not exactly important to the younger generation.”
“The younger generation care about things like climate change. They need to get out there,” Pan added. “For me voting rights and immigration is really important”
To the south, in Sicklerville, a steady stream of voters donning “I Voted” stickers left the polls at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church. Some lingered, talking with friends and family. Others rushed back to their cars.
Brian Broad, an IT salesperson from Blackwood, said several issues brought him out to vote: “The war in Iran, the economy, inflation, immigration, you know, just everything that’s really been all over the place.”
“My father always said it was important to vote,” Broad added. “People fell and gave their lives so people like us could vote. So it’s important to exercise.”
Steve Smith, a retired nuclear engineer also from Blackwood, stood outside the church wearing an “I Voted” sticker. “I’m concerned about the election results for what’s taking place in America today,” said Smith.
At St. John’s Church in Turnersville, Sal Principato, a retired lawyer, said he voted to oust allies of President Donald Trump.
“My primary motivation is that I don’t want to see Mr. Trump or any of his people in office anymore,” said Principato. “So I wanted to come over here to make my voice count.”
Will Rodriguez, a retired bus driver, cast his ballot Tuesday at the Vineland Fire Department Headquarters.
“I vote every year, it’s my responsibility,” said Rodriguez. “There’s always issues.”
Rodriguez said he prefers to vote in person for its transparency.
“I like to vote in person, personally,” said Rodriguez. “There’s nothing, no guesswork to it. I can see the process, I can examine, place my ballot myself and see it go through the counter.”
Rodriguez is represented by U.S. Rep Jeff Van Drew. Vineland is part of 2nd Congressional District encompassing the southernmost part of New Jersey and shore towns including Cape May, Atlantic City and Long Beach Island. Van Drew was initially elected as a Democrat in 2018, but switched to the Republican Party in 2020 and has supported Trump and his policies.
Democratic challenger and Cape May Mayor Zack Mullock hopes to make inroads in that solidly-Republican district that Trump won by 17 points in 2024.
The closest-watched race in the state, the 7th Congressional District, features incumbent Republican Tom Kean Jr. against Democratic challenger Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy pilot. The sprawling district encompasses Hunterdon and Warren counties, and parts of Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Union counties.
Elected to Congress four years ago, Kean missed multiple floor votes earlier this year and was missing from Washington and his district, citing depression treatment for his four-month absence.
In East Brunswick, the 12th Congressional District and the state’s only open seat, Shankar and Rajeshwari Rajegopalan had the economy on their minds as the couple cast ballots.
“I want to minimize the amount of taxes. I don’t want to pay too many taxes. Whoever is minimizing that, I want to support. We voted for some Democrats and some Republicans,” said Shankar Rajegopalan. “Gas prices are definitely an issue.”
His wife, Rajeshwari Rajegopalan, said heavy taxes were at the top of her mind when voting.
The 12th district, home of retiring Democratic U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, covers parts of Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties. Democrat Adam Hamawy, an Army veteran and surgeon from Princeton, is running against Republican Gregg Mele, of Plainfield. Mele has been an unsuccessful GOP candidate twice before. Two independents are also on the ballot there
In addition to all 12 of New Jersey’s congressional seats on the midterm ballots, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker is widely favored to win reelection against Republican challenger Justin Murphy. Booker, the former mayor of Newark, was first elected to the Senate in a 2013 special election.
More than 1.2 million New Jerseyans cast early or mail-in ballots before Election Day, according to the University of Florida’s Election Lab, with nearly 57% of those votes cast by Democrats.
Shohini Mitra is a senior journalism and media studies student pursuing a minor in digital communication, information, and media at Rutgers University.
Zo Terrana is a senior journalism major at The College of New Jersey.
Aidan Vanhoof is a journalism major at Rowan University.
