General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

What’s on Franklin’s ballot

U.S. Senate and House, two County Commissioners, three Board of Education seats and, for Ward 1 voters, the rest of a Township Council term. Below are the names exactly as the Somerset County Clerk printed them, how and when to vote, and where. This page does not endorse or rank anyone.

How this page works

Everything here comes from the County Clerk’s official sample ballot, the county’s candidate lists, the state’s election timeline and the Township Clerk’s voter page. Contests, columns and names follow the printed ballot. The Clerk’s August 10, 2026 drawing put the Democratic column first and the Republican column second for every office. We do not quote candidates, mark incumbents or link to campaigns.

Franklin’s sample ballot carries the 12th Congressional District race. The Mayor’s and at-large Council seats are not up this year. The Ward 1 Council seat, filled by appointment on February 10, 2026, is on Ward 1 ballots only; your mailed sample ballot shows your ward and voting district. There are no public questions and no fire-district elections on Franklin’s ballot.

The ballot

U.S. Senator · Vote for no more than one

  • Column 1 Cory Booker Democratic
  • Column 2 Justin Murphy Republican
  • Column 3 Joanne Kuniansky Socialist Workers Party
  • Column 4 Veronica Fernandez End the Corruption!

U.S. Representative, 12th District · Vote for no more than one

  • Column 1 Adam Hamawy Democratic
  • Column 2 Gregg Mele Republican
  • Column 5 Andres Jinete Green Party
  • Column 6 Winston Jordan Get Money Out

Somerset County Commissioner · Vote for no more than two

  • Column 1 Paul Drake Democratic
  • Column 1 Elizabeth Graner Democratic
  • Column 2 Dan Gallic Republican
  • Column 2 Rakesh “Rocky” Ganta Republican

Franklin Township Council, Ward 1, unexpired term · Vote for one

Ward 1 voters only. This contest is on the County Clerk’s candidate list, which records that the Republican party made no nomination; the one Franklin ballot printed in the county’s sample-ballot file is not a Ward 1 ballot. The list does not state when the term ends.

  • Column 1 Shubhendu Singh Democratic

Franklin Board of Education · Vote for no more than three

Three full three-year seats and three candidates. School board races are non-partisan; all three appear under “Nomination by Petition” in Column A, with the slogan printed beneath each name.

  • Column A William Grippo The Experienced 3
  • Column A Erika J. Inocencio The Experienced 3
  • Column A Jimmie L. Parker, III The Experienced 3

How and when to vote

  1. Tuesday, October 13

    Voter registration closed (21 days before the election). Check your registration (opens in a new tab)

  2. Tuesday, October 27

    Mail-in ballot applications by mail closed. State election timeline (opens in a new tab)

  3. Saturday, October 24 – Sunday, November 1

    Early in-person voting, no appointment needed: Monday–Saturday 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Any Somerset County voter can use any of the six sites. There is no voting on Monday, November 2. Township voting page (opens in a new tab)

  4. Thu Oct 29, Fri Oct 30, Mon Nov 2

    Mail-in ballots can no longer be mailed out, but can be picked up in person at the County Clerk’s office: 8:15 a.m.–4 p.m. on October 29 and 30, and 8:15 a.m.–3 p.m. on November 2. County Clerk, Election Division (opens in a new tab)

  5. Tuesday, November 3

    Election Day. Polls are open 6 a.m.–8 p.m. at your assigned polling place. Drop boxes and the County Board of Elections office take mail-in ballots until 8 p.m. Mailed ballots count if postmarked by November 3 and received by November 9; ballots without a postmark must arrive by November 5. Find your polling place (opens in a new tab)

Early-voting sites

  • Franklin: Community Center, 505 DeMott Lane
  • Bernards: Community Center, 289 South Maple Avenue
  • Bridgewater: Municipal Court, 100 Commons Way
  • Hillsborough: Municipal Building, 379 South Branch Road
  • Montgomery: Municipal Building, 100 Community Drive
  • North Plainfield: Community Center, 614 Greenbrook Road

Ballot drop box

Franklin’s drop box is at the Municipal Building, 475 DeMott Lane, Somerset. Drop boxes are open 24 hours a day until 8 p.m. on November 3. All county drop boxes (opens in a new tab)

Already sent a mail-in ballot? Track it (opens in a new tab). If you received a mail-in ballot but want to vote in person, you vote by provisional ballot.

Election Day polling places

As listed on the Township Clerk’s voter page. Your voting district and polling place are printed on your sample ballot, or look them up with the state’s polling-place search.

Location Voting districts
Kingston Presbyterian Church, 4561 Route 27, Kingston 1
Bunker Hill Lutheran Brethren Church, 235 Bunker Hill Road, Princeton 2, 3, 4
Board of Education Building, 2301 Route 27, Somerset 5, 6, 8, 9, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34
Beacon Hill Clubhouse, 1 Beaconhill Way, Franklin Park 7
Society Hill I Clubhouse, 137 Pear Tree Lane, Franklin Park 10
Zarephath Christian Church Children’s Ministry Center, 595 Weston Canal Rd, Somerset 11, 12, 13
Masjid-E-Ali, 47 Cedar Grove Lane, Somerset 14, 15, 16
Community/Senior Center, 505 DeMott Lane, Somerset 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 28, 29
Quailbrook Senior Citizens Center, 625 New Brunswick Road, Somerset 20, 21, 22
Somerset Presbyterian Church, 100 JFK Blvd, Somerset 23, 49, 50, 51
Millstone Valley Firehouse, 2365 Amwell Road, East Millstone 26, 27
Somerset National Guard Armory, 1060 Hamilton Street, Somerset 35, 36, 37, 38, 42
Parkside Community Center, 3 Parkside Street, Somerset 39, 40, 41, 43
East Franklin Firehouse, 121 Pine Grove Avenue, Somerset 44, 45, 46, 47, 48

Results: unofficial results are posted by the county after 8 p.m. on November 3; the County Clerk says final certification will take place on November 18. Questions: County Clerk 908-231-7013; Board of Elections 908-231-7084; Township Clerk 732-873-2500 x6208; NJ Division of Elections 1-877-658-6837.

Sources

Franklin’s issues The full timeline