TRENTON, N.J. — A soggy day at the polls hasn’t prevented New Jerseyans from turning out in relatively high numbers for this year’s midterm elections. Or at least that’s what it looks like from anecdotal but steady reports from our the state this afternoon. Unfortunately, plenty of voters ran into problems engendered by the state’s new mail-ballot law. NJ Transit isn’t helping either.
Still, most people who want to vote are finding a way. Here’s some video from one Jersey City polling station:
How about this video…… pic.twitter.com/cjbEwkAAf1
— Gary Salzman (@salzman_gary) November 6, 2018
High turnout in the heavily-urban Northeast is generally a very good sign for Democrats running state-wide.
Meanwhile, down at the lean-Republican Jersey Shore (h/t MoreMonmouthMusings)…
“Reports from all parts of Monmouth County indicate a historically high turnout for the mid-term election today. As of noon, some Middletown voting districts had a turnout of 50% of all registered voters.
In Neptune, as of 10 am, 3287 voters had turned out, which I’m told is 45% of the total turnout in 2014.
The turnout in a Manalapan district exceed the 2014 turnout as of noon.
There were lines to vote in Freehold Township, Long Branch and Howell this morning.”
Our buddy Art Gallagher of MMM caught with with Bob Hugin at the New Monmouth Diner in Middletown on Tuesday morning to discuss the turnout situation:
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Similarly high turnout was reported in nearby Ocean County, too, a critical battleground in the NJ-03 House race. Voting in Lacey Township (where even Mitt Romney nearly hit 60% there) was reportedly robust.
In Brick? Another red town at the Shore? One reader’s uncle had to wait for a parking spot to vote, something which is unusual even in presidential cycles.
South Jersey stations were higher than average as well on the whole, though one source in NJ-02 told me turnout wasn’t quite the presidential-like levels we may be seeing elsewhere in the state where there are hotly-contested House races.
The evening rush is about to commence.
Polling stations remain open until 8:00 p.m. EST.
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