New Jersey state Assemblyman Avi Schnall (D-Lakewood) won a second term in the state’s 30th Legislative District on Tuesday, with Lakewood voters turning out strongly in his favor.
According to unofficial results from the Ocean County Clerk’s office, approximately 36,587 Lakewood voters cast a ballot in the race for Assembly in the 30th District, either via the mail, in-person early voting, or on election day, with Schnall receiving 31,290 votes – about 85% of the Lakewood vote, a figure which mirrors Schnall’s strong performance in 2023.
Yet the results raised some eyebrows: while Schnall performed very well locally, Sean Kean, the Republican incumbent, received just 22,511 votes in Lakewood, a drop-off of 8,779 votes compared to Schnall.
Kean’s poor performance in Lakewood came despite being a Republican running in a solid Republican district, an endorsment by the Lakewood Vaad, placing right below Jack Ciattarelli on the ballot and having no opposition.
At first glance, that discrepancy made it appear that Republican candidate Ned Thomson, who was listed on a separate ballot line, had performed unusually well in Lakewood. But a closer look at the numbers and at the ballot layout, reveals a clearer explanation.
Because Schnall and Kean appeared on the same row (see sample ballot below this story), many voters seem to have mistakenly believed they were running against each other, rather than as part of the same ticket. As a result, large numbers of voters likely selected Schnall, skipped Kean, and then moved over to vote for Thomson, unintentionally inflating Thomson’s total at Kean’s expense.
In addition, it appears that many voters who supported Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli may have voted straight down the ballot without realizing Schnall was in column B, resulting in a smaller number of votes for him than expected, despite widespread support.
Altogether, the results underscore just how critical ballot design and placement can be in influencing voter behavior, even in towns like Lakewood, where community turnout has been well above the state average.
Overall, districtwide, Republican incumbent Sean Kean finished first, receiving 48,805 votes, followed by Avi Schnall, who received a total of 46,551.
Ned Thomson, who was attempting to take back his seat, finished third with 40,156 total votes.
In addition to Lakewood, the 30th Legislative District includes Howell, Wall, Farmingdale, Belmar, Lake Como and Avon-by-the-Sea.
Schnall’s win means the district will once again have split representation in the next session, with Republicans Senator Bob Singer and Assemblyman Sean Kean holding the other two seats. In the current legislative session, only two the state’s 80 districts have split representation.
Yes, the first part is correct. That is what I did because I didn’t realize.
So you are saying Lakewood voters are stupid at worst or misinformed at best. Not very complimentary
That’s what you’re saying!
Most people knew to vote republican straight down ballot accept for Avi Schnall. Most regular people don’t remember if we’re supposed to vote for Kean or Thompson. I almost made the same mistake, since it looks like it was Avi against Sean Kean. I predicted a lot of people will make that mistake.
I’m still waiting for my free tuition
Yes LOL!
Avi Schnall has been a more active advocate for our town and more engaged with our community in just 2 years than all the other representatives have been in the 18 years I have been here. I enthusiastically voted for Schnall and I expected that Ned Thompson getting fired 2 years ago would have been a wakeup call for Sean Kean. Instead, Kean has continued to ignore our town and its needs. The state government has bankrupted and refused to invest in our infrastructure and Kean is nowhere to be found.
I appreciate and understand the Scoop’s analysis, but I would suggest that it’s a lot more than ballots placement. Our town needs, and deserves, representatives who are going to fight for our basic needs.
Yes, I made that mistake, and realized right after I cast the vote. I’m happy that the desired candidates won anyway.
Or, maybe it was intentional. Please give Lakewood voters a little more credit for intelligence.