The School Superintendent, Patrick Spagnoletti, announced at the May 21st BOE meeting that there are currently two (2) school buildings which are used for voting purposes during the primary and general elections in the borough. For a number of year the Roselle Park Board Of Education has requested from the Union County Board of Elections to have polling station be moved out of those buildings but the County stated that it could not be done at the moment. According to Mr. Spagnoletti, the New Jersey Legislature is considering a bill which would close schools during elections.
“In the interim,” Mr. Spagnoletti stated, “I have hired a police officer for both the Aldene and the Middle School so there will be a police presence for the full 14 hours at each of those buildings for the safety and security of our voting population.”
Roselle Park Police Chief Paul Morrison concurred with the BOE’s decision to increase security. Chief Morrison stated that the police department routinely assigns an officer on election days to visit polling places throughout the day to ensure that there are no issues during elections hours but are not able to assign an officer to each polling place due to manpower constraints. The Police Chief commented, “In light of the Newtown school shooting and other incidents in schools throughout the country, Mr. Spagnoletti has taken a more aggressive approach to this situation by requesting officers be posted at the polls which will be funded by the Board of Education. I have agreed with this proactive request in our continued efforts to keep our children as safe as possible in our schools. I believe our schools are a safe haven for our children and the Police Department along with our superintendent and school staff members will continue to provide the best possible school security for our children and school staff. I hope to continue this practice in other upcoming elections with the ultimate goal to have all polling places removed from our schools.”
All polling stations throughout the Borough will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 4, 2013.
Anyone who would like to vote before June 4th can go to the County Clerk Offices in Elizabeth and Westfield to apply for a Mail-In Ballot for the Primary Election on Saturday, June 1st between 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or on Monday, June 3rd before 3 p.m. in the County Clerk Offices in Elizabeth and Westfield.