On every East Orange ballot
ExecutiveJoseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. (D) · Maritza Mathews (R)
Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. Democratic Incumbent
Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. is the Essex County Executive, a position he has held since 2002, and is seeking a seventh term in November, per the New Jersey Globe. His administration's stated priorities are infrastructure improvements, public safety, recreational opportunities and economic growth, per the Essex County government website. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr.
Maritza Mathews Republican
Maritza Mathews is the Essex County Republican Party's nominee for county executive. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Maritza Mathews.
Commissioner At-LargeChristine McGrath (D) · Abdur R. Yasin (D) · Deborah Engel (D) · Wayne L. Richardson (D) · Demetrius Eley (R) · Daniela Ferreira Almeida (R) · Douglas Freeman (R) · Sahwa DeFrank (R)
Christine McGrath Democratic
McGrath has served on the Verona Town Council since 2019 and chairs the Verona Democratic Committee, per search-aggregated local reporting. She has served as president of the Friends of the Verona Library and the Junior Woman's Club, co-created Verona Fights Hunger Week, and has been involved with the gun-violence-prevention group Moms Demand Action, per search-aggregated local reporting. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Christine McGrath.
Abdur R. Yasin Democratic
Yasin is a West Orange fire captain and serves as the West Orange Democratic Municipal Chairman, per search-aggregated local reporting. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Abdur R. Yasin.
Deborah Engel Democratic
- Address rising costs of healthcare, housing, groceries, utilities, insurance and transportation
- Expand shared services between municipalities to cut costs and improve efficiency
- Invest in infrastructure, including complete streets, pedestrian and bike infrastructure, flood mitigation and EV charging
Per the per The Village Green candidate profile.
About Deborah Engel
Deborah Engel is a longtime Maplewood and South Orange community leader who served three years on the Maplewood Township Committee, including one year as deputy mayor, and chaired the board of South Orange Downtown, per The Village Green. She founded two local businesses, Work and Play (a coworking space with childcare) and General Store Cooperative (a co-retail incubator for small businesses), and won her Democratic nomination in June 2026 without the county party's backing. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Deborah Engel.
Wayne L. Richardson Democratic Incumbent
Wayne L. Richardson is the incumbent Essex County Commissioner for one of the four at-large seats and was the only sitting at-large commissioner to seek re-election in 2026, per the New Jersey Globe. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Wayne L. Richardson.
Demetrius Eley Republican
Demetrius Eley of West Orange is one of four Republican nominees for the four at-large Essex County Commissioner seats, endorsed by the Essex County Republican Party. He previously ran unsuccessfully for the 34th Legislative District Assembly seat, per the New Jersey Globe. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Demetrius Eley.
Daniela Ferreira Almeida Republican
Daniela Ferreira Almeida is one of four Republican nominees for the four at-large Essex County Commissioner seats, endorsed by the Essex County Republican Party. She previously ran unsuccessfully for the 29th Legislative District Assembly seat, per the New Jersey Globe. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Daniela Ferreira Almeida.
Douglas Freeman Republican
Douglas Freeman of Newark is one of four Republican nominees for the four at-large Essex County Commissioner seats, endorsed by the Essex County Republican Party, per the New Jersey Globe. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Douglas Freeman.
Sahwa DeFrank Republican
Sahwa DeFrank of Newark is one of four Republican nominees for the four at-large Essex County Commissioner seats, endorsed by the Essex County Republican Party, per the New Jersey Globe. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Sahwa DeFrank.
By address
These seats are elected by district; only the district covering your address is on your ballot.
Find your districts by addressCommissioner, District 1Wilson Pichardo (D)
Wilson Pichardo Democratic
Wilson Pichardo is a senior advisor at the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and the unopposed Democratic nominee for the District 1 Essex County Commissioner seat, per the New Jersey Globe. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Wilson Pichardo.
Commissioner, District 2A'Dorian Murray-Thomas (D)
A'Dorian Murray-Thomas Democratic Incumbent
A'Dorian Murray-Thomas is the incumbent Essex County Commissioner for District 2, per the Essex County Clerk's official roster, and is unopposed for re-election in November 2026. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official roster and election filing is the only verifiable source for A'Dorian Murray-Thomas.
Commissioner, District 3Medinah Muhammad (D)
Medinah Muhammad Democratic
- Economic development and affordable housing
- Criminal justice reform
- Gun safety
Per the campaign site.
About Medinah Muhammad
Muhammad is a lifelong Essex County resident with experience in county government, the New Jersey Legislature and the Governor's Office, per her campaign site. She serves on the East Orange Board of Education and holds leadership roles within Essex County and the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, per her campaign site.
Commissioner, District 4Leonard M. Luciano (D) · Adam Kraemer (R)
Leonard M. Luciano Democratic Incumbent
Leonard M. Luciano has served as the District 4 Essex County Commissioner since 2011 and is seeking re-election in November 2026, per the New Jersey Globe. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Leonard M. Luciano.
Adam Kraemer Republican
Adam Kraemer is the Republican nominee for the District 4 Essex County Commissioner seat. He previously ran unsuccessfully against incumbent Joseph DiVincenzo for county executive in 2022, per the New Jersey Globe. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Adam Kraemer.
Commissioner, District 5Carlos M. Pomares (D) · Frank Contella (R)
Carlos M. Pomares Democratic Incumbent
- Historic preservation
- Arts advocacy
- Education
Per the campaign site.
About Carlos M. Pomares
Pomares holds a bachelor's degree in history from Caldwell University and a master's degree in museum professions from Seton Hall University, per his campaign site. He worked at King Manor Museum, the NYC Police Museum and the Montclair Historical Society, and has taught history and political science as an adjunct instructor, per his campaign site. He was elected Bloomfield Councilman At-Large in 2013 and has served on the Essex County Board of Commissioners for District 5 since 2017, including as vice president and, since 2025, as board president, per his campaign site. He serves as executive director of the Cuban Artists Fund and on boards including Caldwell University, the President Grover Cleveland Birthplace, the Morris Canal Greenway and the Sanctuary on the Green Alliance, per his campaign site.
Frank Contella Republican
Frank Contella is the Republican nominee for the District 5 Essex County Commissioner seat. He previously ran for state Senate in 2021 and for Essex County Commissioner in 2017, per the New Jersey Globe. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Frank Contella.
Full candidate profiles, priorities and campaign sites are on the Essex County page.
Statewide races
U.S. SenateCory Booker (D) · Justin Murphy (R) · Veronica Fernandez (Independent) · Joanne Kuniansky (Socialist Workers Party)
Cory Booker Democrat Incumbent
- Lower health care and living costs for New Jersey families
- Advance criminal justice reform and economic opportunity
- Defend democratic institutions and civil rights
About Cory Booker
Cory Booker is New Jersey's incumbent U.S. senator and the Democratic nominee for a third full term in 2026. The former mayor of Newark, he has served in the Senate since 2013 and set the record for the longest Senate floor speech in 2025 protesting administration policy. His work centers on justice reform, economic opportunity, health care, and defending democratic institutions.
- Opposed the Laken Riley Act as one of nine Senate votes against it, saying it would expand mandatory detention of people not convicted of crimes and invite profiling of immigrant communities. Opposed
- Opposed the Republican stopgap funding measure during the government shutdown that began October 1, 2025, holding out for an extension of Affordable Care Act health insurance tax credits. Opposed
Justin Murphy Republican
- Replace the tax code with a flat income tax
- Expand parental rights and school choice
- Increase domestic energy production, including nuclear power
About Justin Murphy
Justin Murphy is the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, a self-employed small business owner from Tabernacle in Burlington County's Pine Barrens, per his campaign site and the New Jersey Globe. He served four years in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Comte De Grasse, including six months in the Persian Gulf, per WHYY, and served one term on the Tabernacle Township Committee after his 2000 election, per the New Jersey Globe. He won the four-way June nomination with about a third of the vote.
Veronica Fernandez Independent
- Campaign finance reform, opposing the influence of big donors and special interests
- Making it more affordable to own a home, raise a family and access healthcare
- Answering to constituents rather than party leadership or donors
Per the campaign site.
About Veronica Fernandez
Veronica Fernandez is an independent candidate for U.S. Senate from New Jersey, running under the slogan "End the Corruption." A lifelong New Jersey resident, Fernandez co-owns a small commercial electrical contracting business with her husband, according to the campaign site. Fernandez's platform centers on campaign finance reform, affordability and answering to constituents rather than party leadership.
Joanne Kuniansky Socialist Workers Party
- Breaking from the Democratic and Republican parties to build independent working-class political action
About Joanne Kuniansky
Joanne Kuniansky is the Socialist Workers Party nominee for U.S. Senate from New Jersey. Kuniansky joined the Socialist Workers Party in 1977 and has worked in oil refineries, railroads, meatpacking and as a Walmart deli worker, according to Insider NJ. Kuniansky submitted 3,000 petition signatures to qualify for the ballot and has run for New Jersey governor and U.S. Senate in earlier cycles, per The Militant. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.
See your full ballot
Voting info and more
Voting info and more
City boundaries and ZIP codes from the U.S. Census Bureau (2024 Gazetteer, 2020 ZCTA relationships). Candidate fields follow official election office filings; confirm with the New Jersey election office before voting.