AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Newark, New Jersey’s, mayoral election

WASHINGTON (AP) — Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka faces seven challengers as he seeks a fourth term Tuesday as the chief executive of his state’s largest city.

The reelection bid caps an eventful 12 months for Baraka. The contest takes place almost a year after he was arrested at a protest outside a federal immigration detention center. The charges were later dropped, and he sued the federal prosecutor at the time, alleging false arrest and malicious prosecution.

Baraka later placed second against then-U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill in the Democratic primary for governor. Sherrill went on to win the general election. Baraka is a Democrat, but the office of Newark mayor is nonpartisan, and candidates do not run under a party label.

The candidates challenging Baraka are artist Tanisha Garner, developer and contractor Noble Milton, community organizer Sheila Montague, community activist Debra Salters, former Newark Municipal Court administrator Nasheedah Singleton, tech entrepreneur Jhamar Youngblood and Douglas “Rodney” Davis, whose campaign platform includes ending “casual Fridays” in City Hall.

Montague placed a distant second behind Baraka in the 2022 mayoral race, receiving about 17% of the vote. In 2024, she and Salters sought the Democratic nomination to replace the late Democratic U.S. Rep. Donald Payne. They placed 7th and 11th, respectively.

If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to a June 9 runoff election.

Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied:

When do polls close?

Polls close at 8 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare a winner in the Newark mayoral race.

Who gets to vote?

Any registered voter in Newark may participate in the mayoral election.

How many voters are there?

There were about 159,000 registered voters in Newark in the 2025 general election.

How many people actually vote?

About 18,000 votes were cast in the 2022 mayoral election.

How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?

About 16% of vote in the 2022 mayoral election was cast before Election Day.

As of Thursday, about 2,700 ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election, almost all of them from Democrats.

When are early and absentee votes released?

In Essex County, for which Newark is the county seat, the first vote report of the night typically includes nearly all results from early and absentee voting, with no results from in-person Election Day voting.

How long does vote-counting usually take?

The timing of vote releases for past elections is available for Essex County but not for Newark specifically. In the 2025 general election, the AP first reported results in Essex County at 8:06 p.m. ET, or six minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 10:10 p.m. ET, with about 93% of total votes counted.

When will the AP declare a winner?

The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

How do recounts work?

Recounts are very rare in New Jersey. The state does not have automatic recounts, but candidates and voters may request and pay for them, with the cost refunded if the outcome changes. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 28 days until the June 9 mayoral runoff, if needed.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.