Voting is one of our greatest responsibilities as citizens of the United States. This nonpartisan guide has been created to help voters prepare to cast their ballot on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5. In addition to voting for president of the United States, residents of the Municipality of Princeton will have the opportunity to vote for mayor and members of Princeton Council. Mayor Mark Freda, seeking a second term, along with newcomer Brian McDonald and incumbent Leighton Newlin are all running unopposed. In addition, Princeton residents will elect three new members of the Princeton Public Schools Board of Education.
Princeton is located in New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District where voters will choose one of four candidates to act as their representative to the U.S. House of Representatives. Bonnie Watson Coleman is the incumbent.
See below for information about all candidates running on Election Day 2024.
Voter Registration | Vote By Mail | Learn About the Candidates | Fact Checking | Important Dates | | Trusted Resources |Library Resources | For Educators
Voter Registration
To be eligible to vote in this year’s national election on Nov. 5, you must be registered to vote by Oct. 15, 2024.
NOTE: Early, in-person voting in New Jersey is permitted from Oct. 26 through Nov. 3. There are no requirements for eligibility. Check here to locate in-person, early voting locations throughout New Jersey.
Register online now or check to see if you are already registered.
Prefer to register by mail? View this guide to help you complete your voter registration application:
- Mercer County (English)
- Mercer County (Español)
- Applications for residents of other New Jersey counties
To register to vote in New Jersey, you must be:
- A United States citizen
- At least 17 years old, but you may not vote until you reach the age of 18. (Visit this site to learn more about “pre-registration” for 17-year-olds.)
- A resident of the county for 30 days before the election
- A person not serving a sentence of incarceration as the result of a conviction of any indictable offense under the laws of this or another state of the United States (Restoration of voting rights after a felony conviction)
Vote By Mail
New Jersey residents wishing to vote by mail must apply to do so and be sure their application is postmarked 21 days before Election Day (Oct. 15, 2024). You can find the vote-by-mail application for Mercer County residents in English here or in Spanish here. Nonprofit Vote offers some tips for voting by mail, no matter where you live in the United States. You can refer to the video below from New Jersey Votes and the Bipartisan Policy Center to learn how to complete and return your mail-in ballot.
NOTE: Your ballot must be postmarked on or before 8 p.m. on Election Day and be received by your county’s Board of Elections on or before six days after Election Day.
Utilize this tool from New Jersey Votes to track your mail-in ballot once you’ve returned it.
Three Options for Returning Your Ballot:
Secure Ballot Drop Box: In addition to mailing ballots, voters have the option of placing their ballots in secure drop boxes, which are supplied locally by the Mercer County Board of Elections. The nearest drop box to the Sands Library Building is located at the Princeton Municipal Building, 400 Witherspoon St., Princeton. Additional drop boxes are located throughout Mercer and all N.J. counties. All drop box locations are open 24 hours a day and until 8 p.m. on Election Day unless noted.
By Mail: According to the N.J. State Division of Elections, mailed-in ballots have the following postmark deadline: “Every vote-by-mail ballot that is postmarked on or before Election Day, and that is received on or before the sixth day after the close of the polls shall be considered valid and shall be canvassed, assuming the ballot meets all other statutory requirements.” Mail-in ballots will start being sent out Sept. 21.
Deliver to your Board of Elections Office: You have the option of hand delivering your ballot to your county’s local board of elections office by 8 p.m. on Election Day. The Mercer County Board of Elections office is located at: 930 Spruce St,. Lawrence, NJ 08648. You may also contact them by phone at 609-989-6522 or email at BoardofElections@mercercounty.org.
For more information regarding board of election offices in other counties, please visit a complete listing from New Jersey Votes.
Voting In Person on Election Day
In-person polling locations: There is at least one in-person polling location in each municipality. If you are unsure of your polling location, you can utilize this tool to locate it. Voters who go to the polls will be able to vote by provisional (paper) ballot or in a voting machine (only if the voter is disabled). For additional information on polling locations or becoming a poll worker, either follow this link or contact the Mercer County Board of Elections at 609-989-6522.
Learn About the 2024 Presidential Candidates
Democratic Ticket: Kamala Harris (Vice President of the United States) for president and Tim Walz (Governor of Minnesota) for vice president
Candidates for United States House of Representatives,
New Jersey Congressional District 12
New Jersey Congressional District 12 is comprised of multiple townships throughout Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties.
Democrat: Bonnie Watson Coleman
Green Party: Kim Meudt
Libertarian: Vic Kaplan
Republican: Darius Mayfield
Candidates for U.S. Senate, New Jersey, District 3
Mercer County towns within District 3 include: East Windsor, Hamilton, Hightstown, Lawrence and Robbinsville
Democrat: Andy Kim
Green Party: Christina Khalil
Independent: Patricia Mooneyham
Libertarian Party: Kenneth Kaplan
Republican: Curtis Bashaw
Socialist Workers Party: Joanne Kuniansky
Princeton Public Schools Board of Education Candidates
With two incumbents on the board not seeking reelection, and one seeking a second term, residents of the municipality have a choice of six candidates competing for three available seats on the board. Members of the board of education serve three-year terms. Learn about all of this year’s candidates here, or visit their respective candidacy websites: Mara Franceschi; Ari Meisel; Lisa Potter; Christopher Santarpio; Erica Snyder; Shenwei Zhao.
Fact Checking
It is important to find accurate, credible, and authoritative information and be mindful of the existence of fake news stories. Artificial intelligence (AI) is already being harnessed around the world and in the U.S. for the creation of election disinformation. Stay vigilant and be sure to cross-reference new or surprising information regarding the upcoming general election with trusted, credible sources. There are many freely accessible tools available to help you in your research. Here are just a few:
Factcheck.org : FactCheck is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center and focuses on national politics.
Center for Public Integrity : Award-winning nonpartisan, nonprofit investigative journalism organization.
NewsGuard’s “Reality Check”: Weekly reports updated regularly focusing on how misinformation online is undermining trust—and who’s behind it.
Politifact : Founded by the Tampa Bay Times and now operated by the Poynter Institute, PolitiFact is a nonpartisan fact-checking organization that focuses on national political figures.
Important Dates & Deadlines
- National Voter Registration Day: Sept. 17, 2024
- Voter Registration Deadline for Election 2024 (Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024): Oct.15, 2024
- Advance, In-person Voting: Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024 – Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024
- Vote-by-Mail: Applications are due 21 days prior to Election Day
- Mail-In Ballots: Vote-by-mail ballots that are postmarked on or before Election Day, and received on or before the sixth day after the close of the polls on Nov. 5, 2024, will be considered valid.
Trusted Nonpartisan Resources
866 Our Vote Election Protection Hotline | Offers support and resources related to all issues related to voting rights in English, Spanish, Arabic, and multiple Asian languages (1-800-OUR-VOTE).
Ballotpedia | A nonpartisan information source that allows voters to see what will be on their ballots.
“Can I Vote?” from National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) | Links directly to state election websites and credible resources focused on absentee and early voting, voter registration, and valid forms of ID voting.
Federal Elections Commission | Track campaign financing information for candidates; also features a searchable database for voters.
Federal Voting Assistance Program | Assistance for military and overseas citizens.
GovTrack | Track federal legislation or see the voting and bill sponsorship records of representatives and senators.
Mercer County Elections | Local information for Mercer County, New Jersey.
Mercer County Sample Ballots | Preview the ballot for Princeton and other towns in Mercer County.
New Jersey Legislative Districts Map| An interactive map for determining which voting district you live in.
New Jersey Division of Elections Information Portal | Provides New Jersey information regarding the election.
Vote Smart | Search tools that allow you to research candidates and elected officials, voting records, and issues.
Vote411 | A nonpartisan voter education site powered by the League of Women Voters.
Princeton Public Library Resources
For Educators
- iCivics | “Election Central” provides a curated selection of nonpartisan resources to foster learning about local and national elections, the importance of voting and making their voices heard.
- Democracy Class (“Rock the Vote”) | A free, nonpartisan curriculum that educates high school students about the importance and history of voting and pre-registers and registers them to vote.
- Election Central (PBS) | A suite of documents, videos, and lesson plans focused on several areas of civic engagement: Civics & Democracy 101; Election Basics; How Voting Works; Voting Rights; News & Current Issues; Media in Elections; Civic Participation. (For grades 3 through 12).
- Kids Voting USA | Nonpartisan information for kids and resources for educators.
- NewsGuard | Provides K-12 schools with media literacy tools and curricula aligned with Common Core & ISTE standards that enable students to develop skills to help them detect and counter misinformation. Its staff of trained journalists and information specialists throughout the world collects, updates, catalogues and tracks all of the top false narratives spreading online.” (Scroll down to check out the free resources readily offered.)
- Strategies for Teaching the 2024 Election | An in-depth Education Week article offering strategies for facilitating activities, civil discussion and debate in the classroom.