Montclair is already voting. Early voting opened Saturday at the Wally Choice Community Center on Maple Avenue. By the time polls close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, residents will have chosen a U.S. senator, a member of Congress, a county executive, five county commissioners, a councilor-at-large and three members of a school board still dealing with the effects of a $19.6 million budget shortfall.
Montclair’s 2026 election ballot runs long, and which congressional race you see depends on where you live. That’s because Montclair votes in two congressional districts.
Which Congressional District Is Montclair In? NJ-10 or NJ-11, Depending on Your Street
Most of Montclair sits in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, known as NJ-11, and the rest is in the 10th. The Essex County Clerk provides a separate Montclair sample ballot for each district. Your sample ballot tells you which one is yours, and you can also look up your polling place through Vote.NJ.Gov.
If the NJ-11 race feels familiar, it should. Rep. Analilia Mejia, a Democrat from Glen Ridge, won an April 16 special election to finish Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s House term, beating Republican Joe Hathaway roughly 60% to 39%. That term expires January 3, and the rematch decides who holds the seat for the full two-year term that follows. New Jersey Globe
Mejia is a longtime labor organizer and former head of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance, a progressive advocacy group. Hathaway serves on the Randolph Township Council, previously served as the town’s mayor and worked as an aide to former Gov. Chris Christie.
A third candidate is a Montclair neighbor. Alan Bond received approximately 0.5% of the vote in April and is back on the ballot under the slogan “Hope for Tomorrow.” Bond is a former money manager. A federal jury convicted him in 2002 of investment adviser fraud and wire fraud, and according to the New Jersey Globe, he served about six years in prison.
All three candidates sat down with The Montclair Pod. You can hear those conversations in full on this Thursday’s episode.
In NJ-10, Rep. LaMonica McIver, a Newark Democrat, faces Republican Carmen Bucco, who also ran against her in both of her 2024 races. McIver is awaiting trial on federal charges stemming from a May 2025 visit to the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark, where members of Congress have the right to inspect conditions. She has pleaded not guilty. In August, a federal appeals court allowed two of the three counts to proceed and sent the third back to a lower court for further review. New Jersey Monitor
The other races are the same on both Montclair sample ballots.
Who’s on the Ballot for U.S. Senate and Essex County?
Sen. Cory Booker, the former Newark mayor who has held the seat since 2013, is seeking another term against Republican Justin Murphy, a former deputy mayor of Tabernacle. Two more names round out the four-candidate Senate field: Veronica Fernandez (“End the Corruption!”) and Joanne Kuniansky (Socialist Workers Party).
Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, who first won the office in 2002, is seeking another four-year term against Republican Maritza Mathews.
Montclair voters also fill five seats on the Essex County Board of County Commissioners, the nine-member board that approves the county budget. Four of those seats are at-large, meaning voters across the whole county elect them, and you can pick up to four candidates.
Three of the at-large seats are open after the retirements of Montclair’s Brendan Gill, Patricia Sebold and Romaine Sermons. The Democratic slate is Wayne Richardson, Christine McGrath, Abdur R. Yasin and Deborah Engel. The Republicans are Demetrius Eley, Daniela Ferreira Almeida, Douglas Freeman and Sahwa DeFrank. Wynnie-Fred Victor Hinds, running under the slogan “Let’s Wynn This!,” is also on the ballot.
The fifth seat belongs to the 5th District, one of five commissioner districts, which Montclair shares with Belleville, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge and Nutley. Commissioner Carlos Pomares, a Bloomfield Democrat first elected in 2017, faces Republican Frank Contella.
Closer to home, every seat on the ballot is open.
Montclair Election 2026: Board of Education and Town Council Candidates
Mariana Horta, Antoinette “Toni” Martin and Kyle Porro are running for one councilor-at-large seat on the Montclair Town Council. The seven-member council includes the mayor, two at-large councilors who represent the whole township, and four councilors elected by ward.
The winner fills the rest of the term Carmel Loughman left when she resigned last year. William Harrison has held the seat by appointment since then and did not file to run.
Each candidate’s slogan appears under their name on the ballot. Horta’s reads “Sustainability, Transparency, and Accountability.” Martin’s reads “Community First, Accountable to All.” Porro’s reads “A Livable Montclair.” The Pod interviewed all three, and those conversations are on our site.
The school board race has seven names on the ballot for three seats, but six active candidates. Board members Melanie Deysher, Phaedra Dunn and Allison Silverstein see their terms end in December and did not file for re-election. Each new member serves three years.
The candidates still running are David Moon, Richard Reynics, Corey Pierson, George Simpson, Andrew W. Gideon and Ayelet Haran. Brandie Bookhart withdrew from the race on September 30, citing work obligations, but her name remains on the printed ballot. Voters can choose up to three. The Montclair Pod
The winners will join a board managing the aftermath of the district’s $19.6 million budget shortfall. Last fall, the district reported that 103 employees were either terminated or affected by reduction-in-force notices. In March, voters approved a one-time $12.6 million tax increase and rejected a recurring $5 million increase. The new board members will help shape the next budget.
Five of the seven school board slogans use some form of the word “accountability.”
For a fuller picture of where the candidates stand, watch the Montclair Pod and MPACT candidate forum.
Where to Vote in Montclair: Early Voting, Mail-In Ballots and Election Day
Early voting runs through Sunday, November 1. Montclair’s site is the Wally Choice Community Center, 49 Maple Avenue, but registered Essex County voters can use any of the county’s 11 early voting locations. Sites are open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. You don’t need an appointment. In-Person Early Voting
Early voting hit one snag on its first day. The Essex County Sheriff’s Office received a bomb threat around 10:45 a.m. Saturday at the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, home to one of the county’s early voting sites, News 12 reported. Officers evacuated and swept the zoo and found no bomb, and the voting site reopened that afternoon. The sheriff’s office says its investigation is ongoing.
Tuesday, October 27, is the last day to apply for a mail-in ballot by mail. You can also apply in person at the Essex County Clerk’s office until 3 p.m. on Monday, November 2.
Montclair has two secure drop boxes: one at the Municipal Building at 205 Claremont Avenue and the other at Montclair State University’s College Avenue Lot 8. Both accept ballots until 8 p.m. on November 3. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by November 3 and reach the county Board of Elections by November 9. You cannot hand in a mail-in ballot at an early voting site or an Election Day polling place. Secure Ballot Drop Box Locations
A note for voters who already requested a mail-in ballot: If you decide to vote in person instead, check the state’s voting guidance first. Receiving a mail-in ballot can affect whether you can vote on a machine or must use a provisional ballot.
On Election Day, polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at your assigned polling place, which you can find through the state’s lookup tool.
Make Your Plan to Vote Before Nov. 3
Mail-in ballots can arrive up to six days after Election Day, so a close Montclair race may not have a winner on election night.
Start with your sample ballot to confirm your congressional district. Then pick your day: Wally Choice on Maple Avenue through Sunday, November 1; a drop box on Claremont Avenue or at Montclair State by 8 p.m. on November 3; or your own polling place on Election Day. Before you go, listen to Thursday’s episode to hear Mejia, Hathaway and Bond in their own words.
Image credit: Vitalii Abakumov/Unsplash
