Candidates seeking school board seats in New Jersey have until 4pm, Monday, July 31 to file their nominating petitions at the Ocean County Clerk’s Office in order to have their name placed on the November 7 General Election Ballot.

Potential candidates are encouraged to contact the Ocean County Clerk election staff at (732) 929-2153 with regard to petition filing. Petition packets for school board candidates can be mailed to candidates from the election staff.

Completed petitions must be submitted to the Ocean County Clerk’s Office, Ocean County Courthouse at 118 Washington Street in Toms River.   

All Ocean County school districts now hold their Board of Education elections in November.  

A total of 65 school board seats will appear on the November ballot in various school districts throughout Ocean County.

A complete listing of all candidates who file petitions for school board will be available shortly after the July 31 deadline at www.oceancountyclerk.com or www.facebook.com/oceancountyclerk.

The petition filing deadline for school board candidates was moved from June to the last Monday in July to provide candidates with more time to submit their petitions.

Colabella said candidates can file jointly for the same office, title and term.

“Simply, more than one candidate can appear and circulate the same petition for the same office and term,” he said. “In the past, petitions had to be filed separately, even if all the candidates were running on one slate.”

In addition, candidates have the option of selecting a slogan of no more than three words to appear on the ballot under their name. The slogan selection is part of the petition.

Candidates are required to file a Disclosure Statement with their petition which declares a candidate is not a disqualified voter and has not been convicted of a disqualifying crime. Candidates are requested to provide an email address on their nominating petitions.

 “It is important that potential candidates know the requirements in order to help the petition filing process go smoothly,” Ocean County Clerk Scott M. Colabella said. “It’s also important that candidates get their paperwork in on time.”