What's on Brick's Nov. 3 Ballot, and How to Vote Early Starting Today

Early voting in Ocean County opens today, Saturday, Oct. 24, at 10 a.m. Before you head to the Brick Library or fill out a mail-in ballot, one question is worth answering: what will you actually be voting on in Brick this year?

The answer comes from the official 2026 General Election sample ballot published by Ocean County Clerk John P. Kelly (Township of Brick, 4th Congressional District).

Why this ballot is short for Brick

There is no Brick Township Council or mayor race this November. The clerk's official candidate list (as of Sept. 14, 2026) lists Brick Township as "NO LOCAL ELECTION," and the Brick sample ballot shows no municipal contest. The next council race is in 2027; see our 2027 council page.

The races on Brick's ballot

Names and slogans below are copied from the Brick sample ballot. Every contest also has a write-in option.

U.S. Senate (six-year term, vote for one):

• Justin Murphy, Republican
• Cory Booker, Democratic
• Veronica Fernandez, "End the Corruption!" (by petition)
• Joanne Kuniansky, "Socialist Workers Party" (by petition)

U.S. House, 4th District (two-year term, vote for one): Christopher H. Smith, Republican; Rachel Peace, Democratic.

Ocean County Board of Commissioners (three-year term, vote for one): Frank Sadeghi, Republican; Kia C. Phua, Democratic.

Brick Township School District Board of Education (three-year term, vote for two). This nonpartisan race has its own column. In ballot order, matching the county's school board candidate list:

• Nicole Orozco, "Champions for Education"
• Stephanie Murano, "Champions for Education"
• Alison Kennedy, "Children First, Always"
• Robert (Bob) Sabo (no slogan)

County Question 1, in the ballot's own words

Every Ocean County voter will also see County Question No. 1, Ocean County Natural Lands Trust Fund. It asks whether the fund, "approved and established by referendum in 1997, and amended by referendum in 2019," should "increase its funded rate from 1.2 cents per $100 of total County equalized real property valuation, to 2.2 cents per $100 of total County equalized real property valuation."

From the county's interpretive statement on the ballot:

• A "yes" vote "will permit the County to levy a maximum tax of 2.2 cents per $100 of total County equalized real property valuation," which the county calls "a 1 cent increase, the first and only increase to occur since the inception of the program."
• A "no" vote keeps the current 1.2-cent rate.
• The fund prioritizes preserving open space, protecting watersheds "including groundwater recharge areas and drinking water sources," and land for recreation and historic preservation.
• The county's example: "the owner of a property assessed at $100,000 would contribute a maximum of $22 per year to the Trust Fund."

That example is the county's. The rate applies to equalized value, so an individual Brick owner's cost depends on the property.

Three ways to vote

The county Board of Elections' "3 Ways to Vote" flyer lays out the options.

1. Early, in person. Saturday, Oct. 24, through Sunday, Nov. 1: Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. No appointment is needed, per the NJ Division of Elections. Brick's site is the Brick Library, 301 Chambers Bridge Road, but any registered Ocean County voter can use any of the county's 10 sites, listed on the Board of Elections page.

2. By mail. Requests by mail are due Tuesday, Oct. 27. After that, get a ballot in person from the County Clerk by 3 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2. Per the state's vote-by-mail page, return it:

• By mail, postmarked by 8 p.m. on Election Day and received within six days after;
• In a county drop box by 8 p.m. Nov. 3. Brick's is at the Ocean County Library, 301 Chambers Bridge Road, by the entrance, open 24 hours; or
• In person at the county Board of Elections office by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

A mail-in ballot cannot be returned at an early voting site or a polling place.

3. On Election Day. Tuesday, Nov. 3, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., at your assigned polling place. Voters who go to the wrong polling place will be issued a provisional ballot, the county says.

Before you go

• Check your sample ballot and polling place on the clerk's Election Services page or the state's polling place search.
• Track a mail-in ballot through My Voter Record at Vote.NJ.gov.
• Leave campaign gear at home. State rules bar wearing or displaying support for or opposition to any candidate, party or public question inside a polling place or within 100 feet of its outside entrance.

More official election links are on our resources page.

Team Brick's view (opinion): Team Brick, a local Republican reform movement, has endorsed Nicole Orozco and Stephanie Murano for the Brick Board of Education. This is our opinion, kept separate from the factual guide above.

The bottom line

Brick won't elect a council member this year, but residents still choose a senator, a member of Congress, a county commissioner, two school board members and the rate of a county open-space tax. The school board and county seats are held by people who answer to Brick families and taxpayers. Read the ballot, weigh each choice, and ask the question that should guide every local decision: is this good for the people of Brick? Then vote, early, by mail or on Nov. 3.