ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — This was a big election season, not just for individual towns but for the county and the country as a whole. While the national and state elections could not be called by press time Tuesday night, Nov. 8, the unofficial results from Essex County, a tally of the majority of the county’s votes, are available.
Essex County results remain unofficial until verified by the Essex County clerk, Christopher J. Durkin.
In the presidential election, Essex County swung majorly toward the Democratic side. With 92.36 percent of the votes tallied by press time, Democrat Hillary Clinton has won 76.29 percent of the votes and Republican Donald Trump has only won 20.86 percent of the votes. Each other presidential candidate received less than 1 percent of the total votes, except Libertarian Gary Johnson, who won exactly 1 percent.
On Nov. 8, there were two public questions on the ballot. On the first, which if passed would amend the state Constitution to permit casino gambling in two additional N.J. counties, Essex County’s majority voted no. With 92.36 percent of the votes tallied by press time, “no” got 72.39 percent of the votes and “yes” got 27.61 percent of the votes.
On the second, which if passed would amend the state Constitution to dedicate all revenue from the state motor fuels tax to the Transportation Trust Fund, Essex County’s majority voted yes. With 92.36 percent of the votes tallied by press time, “yes” got 61.97 percent of the votes and “no” got 38.03 percent of the votes.
In the 10th Congressional District election, Essex County voted heavily in favor of incumbent Democrat Donald Payne Jr., as opposed to challenger Republican David Pinckney. With 90.52 percent of the votes tallied, Payne earned 90.53 percent of the votes and Pinckney earned 7.36 percent. The other two candidates, Aaron Walter Fraser and Joanne Miller, earned just 0.73 percent and 1.32 percent, respectively. This district covers parts of Essex County, including Maplewood, South Orange and West Orange, and parts of Hudson and Union counties. As of press time, Hudson County’s results in this election were unavailable, and Union County’s results, with 99 out of 124 districts reporting, saw Payne leading with 78.56 percent, compared to Pinckney’s 19.34 percent.
With 94.63 percent of the votes tallied in the 11th Congressional District election, Essex County’s vote was evenly split between incumbent Republican Rodney Frelinghuysen with 47.1 percent and challenger Democrat Joseph Wenzel with 49.06 percent. The other two candidates, Thomas DePasquale and Jeff Hetrick, received only 3.01 percent and 0.76 percent of the votes, respectively. As of press time, Morris County’s results in this election, with 213 out of 301 districts reporting, show Frelinghuysen winning with 63.53 percent against Wenzel’s 34.7 percent; and Passaic and Sussex counties results were unavailable.
Lastly, with 92.36 percent of the votes tallied, Democratic incumbent Theodore Stephens II was re-elected as Essex County Surrogate. Stephens won 77.43 percent of the votes, which Republican challenger John Piserchia won just 22.51 percent. The surrogate’s primary function relates to the probate of wills, the appointment of administrators of estates and trustees named in wills, and qualifications of guardians of minors and incapacitated persons.