An Election Day unlike any other plays out calmly across Greater Morristown

Voter casts her ballot outside the Morris County Courthouse, Election Day 2020. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
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By Claire Drewniak, Tyler Barth and Kevin Coughlin

There was no waiting in line Tuesday for your turn behind the curtain in Morris County.

In fact, there hardly were any curtains, let alone lines, on an Election Day like no other. Most New Jerseyans cast their votes for President Trump or Vice President Biden days or weeks ago, by mail or via drop boxes.

For those who insisted on visiting their municipal polling places Tuesday, “the only thing that’s the same is you still get a sticker” proclaiming that you voted, according to Randolph Township Clerk Donna Luciani.

Last-minute voters gave a variety of reasons for waiting until the end of this hotly contested presidential season to drop off their ballots. Some cited problems obtaining ballots from the county, and had to file provisional ones. Others said they have just been busy, or wanted to align voting schedules with friends or relatives.

Sarah Outlaw, 25, of Morristown, held off until Tuesday to buy more time to make her picks, in an election that “leaves me in a little bit of a pickle.”

“I feel like there’s not one candidate who fully represents my moral values completely,” said Outlaw, who works for a private school.  She declined to reveal who she sided with, but listed police reform, the coronavirus, the economy, the stimulus package and women’s rights as her key issues.

She voted for a state referendum to legalize the sale of marijuana. “I don’t smoke weed, but I don’t see why not,” she said.

‘THIS COUNTRY NEEDS UNITY AGAIN.’ Samantha Kaufman, 32, of Morristown, said she ‘voted blue,’ Election Day 2020. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Samantha Kaufman, 32, of Morristown, said she voted for former Vice President Joe Biden.

“I think this country needs unity again,” said Kaufman, who works for an alcohol distributor. “I’ve been pretty disappointed with the way the last four years have been. I’m looking forward to some change.”

As for paper ballots, “it’s actually pretty convenient,” Kaufman said. “I don’t mind it whatsoever.”

Julia Abbott, a 19-year-old criminology student at Fairleigh Dickinson University, never has pulled a lever in a voting booth. Tuesday was her first election.

FDU criminology student Julia Abbott, 19, casts her first presidential ballot, as her mom, Christine Abbott of Jefferson, looks on. Election Day 2020. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

“It’s really exciting,” she said, after depositing her ballot for President Trump in a drop box outside the Morris County Courthouse as her mom, Christine Abbott of Jefferson, looked on.

“I just think he will be the candidate for us,” Julia said of Trump. “I like how he’s really helped the economy–for people of color and everybody.”

The student voted yes for legalizing pot.

“I don’t myself use marijuana. But if somebody wants to use it recreationally, I’m okay with it,” Julia said.

Morristown resident Mark DeCamara, 28, has worked at the Trump National Golf Club for at least a dozen summers, starting as a valet.  He voted for the boss.

Mark DeCamera, 28, of Morristown, works at the Trump National Golf Club. He said he voted for his boss on Election Day 2020. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

“I’ve worked for the family more than half of my life. I know him on a somewhat personal level. He is what he is — just a good guy. He treated us well. He’s fun to be around,” said DeCamara.

He supported the marijuana ballot question. “I think it’s a good play,” he said.

A 26-year-old Morristown man who gave his name as Mihir said he requested a ballot weeks ago and finally received it Tuesday.

“I’m voting blue,” said the urban planner. “I don’t believe in anything Trump or the Republicans stand for. He wouldn’t condemn white supremacists. He doesn’t support climate change — as in green energy — which is eventually going to destroy the planet. He’s trying to take away health care during a global pandemic. And he’s a pretty rude person. He ruined our foreign policy.”

Mihir said he supports the marijuana referendum.”There’s no reason people should be in jail for this,” he said.

A 56-year-old Morristown woman who gave her name as Missy said quality of life issues–specifically, not defunding police–prompted her to back Trump.

“He’s brutally honest and he gets things done,” said Missy, who works in the financial services industry. She voted to legalize cannabis. “Marijuana should be legal. It’s ridiculous that it’s not.”

While 21-year-old Brianna Gillespie of Morris Plains wouldn’t divulge  who she backed Tuesday in her first election, she was pleased to participate.

“It felt good to use my voice for the first time, especially with everything that’s going on right now,” said Gillespie, who is studying public relations at James Madison University. Healthcare and LGBTQ rights topped her list of issues.

She refrained from voting on the marijuana question. “I don’t know enough about it,” she said.

A steady stream of voters pulled into Madison’s commuter lot late Tuesday afternoon, not to get on the train, but to drop off their ballots at the county election drop box there.

Jennifer Clarke, a 51-year-old theater house manager from East Hanover, said she voted in October, but came to the drop box to help her daughter make her vote count.

“My daughter had a hard time getting her ballot. She goes to school in upstate New York. She requested it three times through the mail and it didn’t come…and it just got here today. We went through a lot to get her ballot,” she said.

Morris County Clerk Ann Grossi and Sheriff James Gannon, Election Day 2020. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

“I think it’s great that so many people have come out and voted. I voted for Biden because I’ve been a Democrat my whole life, and without bashing Trump, I just have a hard time with who he is.”

Clarke voted yes for legalizing marijuana “because I think it should be regulated just like alcohol.”

A Florham Park couple who gave their names as Adelina and Matthew, ages 29 and 31, said their reason for choosing Biden was “anything but Trump.”

“Biden is not the most ideal candidate, but he’s the better option,” said Matthew.

As for marijuana, Adelina said she voted yes. “In Colorado,” she explained, “they had the most opioid addiction cases in the country before legalization, and since, they’ve been able to cut that in half.”

Paula Cremoneze, a 31-year-old Chatham resident who was born in Brazil, said she voted on Tuesday, the last day to cast a ballot, because “life just kind of happened.

“And I woke up today and was like ‘Oh its the 3rd.’ I looked it up and saw it closed at eight, so I rushed over.”

Cremoneze said she’s for prison reform, justice and equality, and cited her immigrant experience  as influencing her vote for Biden.

“I came here from Brazil when I was 11 years old, and we had to fight a lot for our rights in this country,” she said. “There’s a lot of things going on with people of color… I don’t like the whole white supremacy thing. We’re all just people so why can’t we treat each other as equals? Biden says he can help with that. Hopefully he lives up to those promises.”

Cremoneze said she supported the marijuana referendum “because I think regulation would help the county, with tax benefits. And then people wouldn’t have to be doing illegal things, which would minimize this mass incarceration that’s going on for minor drug charges.”

‘PRETTY RESPECTFUL’

Although Tuesday’s election has been described as the most important presidential race in years, there was not much drama Tuesday across Morris County.

“Everybody’s been really respectful. Everything’s been running really smoothly, more smoothly than the primaries,” said Tom Sweeney, Randolph director of public works, working his hometown’s polls.

According to NJ.com, at least 2.4 million New Jerseyans voted early, with the possibility of many more voters on Tuesday. Voters who dropped off ballots, or filled out provisional ones, were orderly, by most accounts.

A few incidents were reported around the country. A self proclaimed “poll watcher” entered a Philadelphia polling station, and was turned away.

In New York City, a man reportedly accosted a Brooklyn voter and threatened to “put him in the hospital,” while in Charlotte, NC,  an armed man was arrested for possible voter intimidation.

Closer to home, the biggest incident may have been a Mine Hill poll worker not wearing a mask, according to township resident Lorelei Illg.

“I fully expected drama when I got up this morning,” said poll worker Linda Guerci, knocking on her wooden podium for luck.

“Things are easy here,” said Mendham poll worker Clinton Costanzo.

Poll worker Karl Fenske with selfie of Rep. Mikie Sherrill, who visited Morristown on Election Day 2020. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

A dozen poll workers kept busy inside Morristown town hall, where Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-11th Dist.) made a brief visit.

By late on Tuesday, 374 provisional ballots had been cast at town hall, with another 130 voters deposited their mail ballots in a special drop box, said volunteer Lorena Inestroza.

“It’s been completely smooth today,” said Morristown Clerk Margot Kaye. “I’m very pleased.”

By late afternoon, about 70 people had come to Morris County Clerk Ann Grossi’s office requesting ballots. She sent out some 390,000 ballots over the last few weeks; as of Monday, about 200,000 people had voted via drop boxes or mail.

Grossi said Election Day went smoothly. “Nothing unusual. I’m pretty happy about that.”

One floor above Grossi’s Morristown office, ballots were being tabulated electronically by contractors for the county Board of Elections, a process that started on Oct. 24 and may continue until Nov. 20.

Four commissioners — Democrats Laurie Brownstein of Kinnelon and Matt Clarkin of Parsippany and Republicans Diana Rochford of Morris Plains and John Murphy of Morris Township–have been reviewing ballots for discrepancies.

Morris County Election Commissioners Matt Clarkin, Democrat of Parsippany; Diana Rochford, Republican of Morris Plains; and Laurie Brownstein, Democrat of Kinnelon, Election Day 2020. Not pictured: John Murphy, Republican of Morris Township. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

About 500 voters will be notified about ballot signatures that don’t match ones in county election rolls; they have until Nov. 17 to verify the signatures are theirs. The commissioners also have reviewed 2,000 ballots emailed from overseas, and they have “re-created” another 150 or so ballots, completing selections that were not fully inked by voter, so the tabulating machines can read them.

A recount in a 2019 Morris Township race revolved around licked envelopes that did not seal properly. Self-sticking envelopes were used for this election, without problems so far, according to Brownstein.

Morris County Election Commissioner Laurie Brownstein of Kinnelon reviews an overseas ballot for discrepancies, Election Day 2020. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

“We won’t have a Morris Township problem this time, we hope,” she said.

Although machine voting was not offered to the general population, to minimize coronavirus risks, municipal polling places were open to take provisional ballots and to provide electronic voting for people with disabilities.

Dale Kramer, the county’s administrator of elections, said the only issues reported by towns involved voters violating rules by wearing buttons or masks with political messages.  In such cases, Kramer said, voters were asked to remove the buttons and “flip their face masks.”

“It’s been a tough election,” she said, explaining that her staff is accustomed to dealing with 800 voting machines, not hundreds of thousands of paper ballots. But she suspects voting on paper may continue after the coronavirus is gone.

“I think it’s popular,” Kramer said, citing heavy use of 16 drop boxes across the county.

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