'Very Slow Day' for Primary Elections in Lacey

Parking is plentiful at many of the polling places in Lacey, as today appears to be a fairly slow day for elections locally.

“It’s a very, very, very slow day,” Township Administrator and Municipal Clerk Veronica Laureigh said.

It's Primary Day in New Jersey, the day that Democrats and Republicans choose which candidates they want to run in the November general election.

Polls are open now and will remain open until 8 p.m. No problems have been reported since the polls opened at 6 a.m., Laureigh said.

Only those registered to a political party can vote today, but registered voters who are unaffiliated can declare a party at the polling station.

Your polling stations along with a map of voting districts can be found .

Across the Garden State, there are five candidates vying for nominations for one of state’s two U.S. Senate seats, and a slew of hopefuls for state Assembly.

Despite that the two major contenders have wrapped up their party's nomination, President Barack Obama and Republican Challenger Mitt Romney are also on today's ballot.

Locally, there's not much to bring voters out today. With an uncontested primary in Lacey, Laureigh anticipates today being “the slowest day in the world for elections.”

Two seats on the committee are open this year — those of Republicans Mayor Mark Dykoff and Gary Quinn.

Dykoff and Quinn both filed petitions to run to keep their seats. Democrats Nicholas Toth and Shawn Judson also will vie for seats on the committee for 2013.

“I vote every year,” Sam Craft of Lacey said at Community Hall. “It’s a civic duty to make your voice heard even if there’s only one name on the ballot.”

Another resident who declined to share his name agreed that voting is a “duty” and added that he believes the country is heading in the “wrong direction.”

“We always want to vote,” a Lacey woman who also declined to share her name said. “You have to let your opinion be known if you want any change.”

The 2012 municipal race come November has the potential for a party power shift as three Republicans and two Democrats currently head the committee. A Republican majority has maintained the committee for more than a decade.

Laureigh expects elections in November to be a busy one.

“There will be a full ballot,” she said. “It will bring out people who haven’t voted in four years.”

Return to Lacey Patch to read about the results of the election as well as news on any independents who filed to run for the November race.

We’ll also be reporting on school board elections, as today is also the deadline for Board of Education candidates to file their nominating petitions. The seats of Vice President Eric Schubiger and board member Maureen Tirella will be up for vote.