What’s on voters’ minds at the polls: high costs, honesty, Latino empowerment

By Isabella Darcy 
Managing Editor

Tuesday was Election Day in New Jersey, and voters headed to polls to cast ballots for their next governor and Assembly members. Residents in four towns shared what influenced their votes. Here’s what they said:

Michele Davis, a 71-year-old retired cashier from Egg Harbor Township, said Democrat Mikie Sherrill is her choice for governor because “she’s for the people.” The United States has “fallen way behind” since President Donald Trump first took office in 2017, she said.

The administration and Trump’s fellow Republicans in Congress are “not protecting us,” Davis said. “Every time I see him on TV, I want to throw something at my TV, but I can’t afford to replace that TV, because my taxes and everything are so high.” 

Davis said she likes that Sherrill wants to lower utility costs. 

“My bills went up. Water used to cost me $15 a month, then it went to $45 a month,” she said. On her heating bill, she said, natural gas is taking another hit. “Gas is expensive. All the charges that are added to these bills is ridiculous.” 

For 33-year-old small-business owner Mike English, voting for change was top priority. Displeased with Democrat Governor Phil Murphy, the Egg Harbor Township resident said Sherrill would “be a continuation of exactly that” administration.

“We just can’t just keep going down. Democratic leadership in the states – you can’t have it,” English said. Of consumer costs, he said:  “Everything is just so high.”

English said his utility costs are higher. Electricity bills in the state soared an average 20% in June as a result of an annual wholesale power auction. 

“New Jersey would basically tax you to death with everything,” English said. His choice for governor was Sherrill’s opponent, Republican Jack Ciattarelli. “Jack talks about lower property taxes, and just taxes in general,” English said.

In Shamong Township, 42-year-old teacher Bob Colombo said he cast his ballot to practice his civic duty. He voted for a candidate whom he believes would “value public school teachers and make sure that they’re doing the right things to promote people going into education.” 

Twenty-five-year-old salesman Thomas Scarpello from Shamong Township said he thinks this is a “super-important election for New Jersey” with “two really good candidates.” He did not share which candidate he favored. 

High taxes were the biggest issue influencing his vote. 

“Being a young person wanting to try to buy a house, these taxes and things are so expensive,” Scarpello said.

Rising costs, especially for healthcare, were the biggest concern for Satish Patel, a 63-year-old pharmaceutical consultant who voted in Bordentown Township. 

“We cannot afford to pay an enormous amount of like $1,800 per month for healthcare,” Patel said. “We don’t want free healthcare, but want healthcare at least affordable.”

Patel said he typically likes Democratic candidates because of their policies and approach to issues that citizens cite. Republicans, he said, tend to think in capitalistic terms, “which is not right.”

In Egg Harbor Township, 61-year-old hairstylist Karen Dixon also voted for Ciattarelli. She is “pro-Trump,” she said, and he has done “more than any president I remember.” 

“I think he’s on the right path with a lot of things,” Dixon said. “Just getting rid of a lot of these illegals, securing the borders, now he’s going after the drugs on boats. Those kind of things I like.”

In May, as Ciattarelli was running for the Republican nomination, Trump called him a “terrific America First Candidate” on social media. Dixon said Ciattarelli’s alignment with Trump was the reason she voted for him for governor.

Trump is “destroying the Republican Party,” according to Emma Metz, an 82-year-old retired carrier for a doctor’s office and Egg Harbor Township resident. Metz said she was a Republican from 1961 until 2016, when Trump ran for president the first time. 

“I changed parties because this man has broken all of the Ten Commandments,” Metz said. “He bullies people, he lies to people and if somebody says something to him he don’t like, he degrades them, gets rid of them. That is not the sign of a real president.”

About Sherrill, Metz said, “Republicans send their lies.” But the Democrat got her vote because, she said, “she seems to be honest.”

“Moving forward for Latino people” is why Tony Sanchez cast his ballot, he said. A 20-year-old unemployed first-time voter from Egg Harbor Township, Sanchez said his candidate would support “more opportunities” for Latin Americans.

Sanchez declined to say which candidate he chose. “We have to make a change,” he said. “Every little bit helps in going up for our people.”

“The issues that matter most to me are pretty much the same as last election, and that is free and fair elections,” said Kristine Tucker, who was voting in Ewing Township. Tucker said the country has been moving in the wrong direction politically for 12 to 15 years. 

“Whomever you have – as governor, local representatives and so forth – they’re the ones who are going to be fighting for their constituents to make sure that we keep democracy and we keep our rights,” Tucker said.

The important issues for Laszlo Pokorny, also from Ewing, were high energy prices and property taxes. The 50-year-old teacher voted for Ciattarelli, because of the Republican’s proposed policies on those issues. 

“We need to make sure that we get those under control, because prices are just going up for anything,” Pokorny said.

Editor’s note: This story was produced in collaboration with the NJ State House News Service. It was written by NJ State House News Service intern Isabella Darcy.