Low Voter Turnout in Harrison / New Mayor in Kearny

In the Town of Harrison General Election held on November 7, 2023, voter turnout was notably low with only 10% of registered voters casting their ballots. The election featured no mayoral race, and the council members who were running did so unopposed. Despite their unopposed status, there was a significant number of undervotes, where voters chose not to select any Council candidate for a given ward. The results for the council members were as follows:

• Maria Camano, 1st Ward, received 134 votes out of 161 votes cast, leaving 27 ballots without a vote for this position.
• Eleanor Villalta, 2nd Ward, got 180 votes out of 209, with 23 ballots left blank for this ward.
• Delfim Sarabando, 3rd Ward, saw 219 votes in his favor out of 309, with 90 voters abstaining from selecting a candidate for the 3rd Ward.
• Michael Dolaghan, 4th Ward, obtained 209 votes from 255, with 46 not voting for this ward.

In the contested mayoral race in Kearny, Councilwoman Carol Jean Doyle made history as the first woman Mayor of Kearny, receiving 1720 votes. The Republican candidate, Sydney Ferreira, secured second place with 1439 votes.  Appointed Mayor Peter Santana, who received 1412 came in last despite being on the Hudson County Democratic Party Mayoral Candidate on Line A.  The only other contested race in the Town of Kearny was the 2nd Ward Council race with the Hudson County Democratic Party candidate Dennis Solano on Line A hold out against local businessman Republican Jose M. Rodrigues with a 38 vote margin.  Solano got 349 votes and Rodrigues got 311. The total turnout for Kearny was 4,571 out of 21,900 registered voters or 21%.

This election highlighted a considerable gap between registered voters and those who actively participate in the electoral process, pointing to a potential voter engagement issue in both towns.

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