2026 Elections In The Caldwells: Mayor, Council, School, Congress, County

THE CALDWELLS, NJ — The 2026 general election is fast approaching, and residents of the Caldwells have plenty of choices to make.

The Essex County Clerk’s Office recently released sample ballots for Caldwell, North Caldwell and West Caldwell, which can be seen here.

Here are some local choices that voters in each town will face in the upcoming election:

CALDWELL

• Mayor - Garrett Jones, the Republican candidate, is matching up against Kenneth Jurgensen, the Democratic candidate.
• Borough Council - The Republican candidates, Andrew Pollara and Brian Bambrick, are matching up against the Democratic candidates, Jonathan Sagalow and Mark Heftler.

NORTH CALDWELL

• Mayor - Kenneth Tilton is running unopposed as a Republican. No Democratic candidates filed to run.
• Borough Council - Two Democratic candidates are running unopposed: Anthony Floria-Callori, and Aimee Luers-Franco. No Republican candidates filed to run.
• School Referendum - The West Essex Regional Board of Education, which includes grade 7 to 12 students in North Caldwell, has approved two ballot questions. If voters in the district's four towns give them a green light, they would pay for a combined $49.41 million in “critical facility needs” throughout the district. An estimated $9.28 million in state aid would help to defray some of the cost. The referendum is being broken down into two questions. Question 1 covers $41,926,384 in projects, including additions and renovations at West Essex High School and West Essex Middle School. Question 2 covers $7,493,250 in projects, including replacement of the stadium bleachers and press box, and the replacement of some interior doors and hardware. >> Learn more here

WEST CALDWELL

• Mayor - Joseph Tempesta Jr. is running unopposed as a Republican. No Democratic candidates filed to run.
• Borough Council - Two Republican candidates are running unopposed: Michael Doctoroff, and Kathy Canale. No Democratic candidates filed to run.

Here are some other races that local voters will be asked to cast ballots for in the midterm election:

• U.S. Senator – A U.S. Senate seat is open in New Jersey. The candidates are Justin Murphy (Republican), Cory Booker (Democrat), Joanne Kuniansky (Socialist Workers Party), and Veronica Fernandez (Independent).
• U.S. House of Representatives (10^th District) – Caldwell is located in the state's 10^th congressional district. The candidates are Carmen Bucco (Republican) and LaMonica McIver (Democrat).
• U.S. House of Representatives (11^th District) – North Caldwell and West Caldwell are located in the state's 11th congressional district. The candidates are Joe Hathaway (Republican), Analilia Mejia (Democrat), and Alan Bond (Independent).
• Essex County Executive – The candidates for Essex County executive are Maritza Mathews (Republican) and Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. (Democrat).
• Essex County Board of Commissioners (At-Large) – There are four at-large seats available on the Essex County Board of Commissioners. The Republican candidates are: Demetrius Eley, Daniela Ferreira Almeida, Douglas Freeman, and Sahwa DeFrank. The Democratic candidates are: Christine McGrath, Abdur Yasin, Deborah Engel, and Wayne Richardson. There is also an independent candidate: Wynnie-Fred Victor Hinds.
• Essex County Board of Commissioners (4^th District) – There is also a county commissioner seat up for grabs in the 4^th district, which includes Caldwell, North Caldwell and West Caldwell. The candidates are Adam Kraemer (Republican) and Leonard Luciano (Democrat).

HOW TO VOTE

The voter registration deadline for the general election is Oct. 13. Learn more about voting in New Jersey here.

There are three ways to vote in the 2026 general election:

Vote By Mail – The last day to apply by mail for a Vote-By-Mail Ballot is Oct. 27. Voters can also apply in person to the clerk's office on any day up to 3 p.m. the day before an election. Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked on or before 8 p.m. on Election Day. See a list of secure drop boxes in Essex County here. Learn more about the voting by mail process here. RELATED: Vote-By-Mail Update Issued In Essex County After Supreme Court Ruling

Early In-Person Voting – Early in-person voting will begin Oct. 24 and run through Nov. 1. Voting hours will take place from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Monday to Saturday), and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. See a list of early voting locations in Essex County here.

Election Day – Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, which takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Find your local polling place here.

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