Voice’s lead article on 8/22 introduced the candidates for the 5 seats open in November’s Board of Education election. Slogans might change. But candidates’ ballot positions had been drawn by the County Clerk and are set.

In fact, all of the decision-making and candidate qualification issues for BOE positions are being managed by the County Clerk. 

The required number of verified signatures on the candidate’s nominating petition for Board of Education candidates is 10 –The candidates had to submit their petitions (which includes certification that the candidate meets other qualifications) by July 25 and the County Clerk’s drawing of ballot positions was done Monday afternoon, August 15.

In sharp contrast, the Council election and identification of the candidates for the 4 open Council positions being elected this November is still very fluid.  

Many Voices readers have been approached recently by potential Council candidates or their supporters to sign petitions that ask registered voters to certify the bona fides (including the good moral character) of the petition’s named candidate.

      To qualify to be on the ballot for Council, candidates must submit petitions with 308 verifiable signatures of registered Township voters to the Town Clerk by September 6.

·       Who and how many candidates there will be is currently a matter of significant speculation. The Clerk’s office reported this week that petitions had thus far been sought by 10 persons, but that it was honoring the request of one petition seeker not to release his/her name.

·        Candidates who are forming a candidate committee to collect campaign contributions or expend money during the Council campaign must file specific forms with the state’s Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC). As of 8/21/2022, seven potential candidates have filed with ELEC. (Click Here to review the list currently found on ELEC’s web page). Only one of the filers, Keith Kaplan, is an incumbent.

Neither seeking petition signatures nor filing with ELEC indicates a definite intention to become an actual candidate. And to be placed on the ballot, the Township Clerk must certify that the required number of valid voter signatures/petitions has been submitted by the September 6 deadline.

Note to voters who are petition signers: Make sure to keep track of the potential candidate(s) for whom you have signed a candidate petition. The Clerk will not include in the required 308 signatures, the signature of a Teaneck voter who has signed more petitions than the number of seats being elected (in this case 4). The Clerk is to approve only the first 4 signatures of any town voter submitted to his office.