2026 Special Election General - THURSDAY April 16th

View prior voter guides

SOMA Action is a grassroots organization in South Orange and Maplewood NJ focused on driving progressive change. We are unabashedly progressive and seek to provide useful and transparent information about the issues affecting our towns. Below please find information on the candidates appearing on the 2026 Special General ballot.

If you are a candidate wishing to correct an error/omission or provide links to more information, please contact info@somaaction.org or submit information to our google form.

Note: The main writer of the voter guide, Erika Malinoski (no ”w”), is no relation to Tom Malinowski.

Election Schedule

Now that our U.S. Representative has been elected Governor, it will take four elections to fill her seat.

  • Special election primary - THURSDAY, February 5

  • Special election general - THURSDAY, April 16

  • Regular election primary - Tuesday, June 2

  • Regular election general - Tuesday, November 3

It is absolutely critical to vote in ALL FOUR elections! We highly recommend registering to vote by mail to make sure not to miss an election! You can now apply to vote by mail ONLINE! Simply fill out the form here by April 9th.

How to Vote in the Special Primary

Register to vote by March 26th!
Check your voter registration and register to vote at https://nj.gov/state/elections/voter-registration.shtml

Ways to Vote

  1. Vote by Mail: If you do not already receive a vote by mail ballot, you may request one by filling out this online form no later than April 9th. Once you have filled out your ballot, you may drop it off in any drop box (one is located in the South Orange Gazebo by the train station and another at the Hilton Library Branch in Maplewood) or mail it. Due to changes in USPS postmarking policies, voters are strongly encouraged to use the drop boxes. Mail ballots must be postmarked by 8 pm on Election Day, but ballots may not be postmarked the day they are mailed.

  2. Vote Early In Person: Early In Person voting will be available Monday, April 6th through Tuesday, April 14th from 10am-8pm (10am-6pm on Sunday). Look here for polling locations. They are NOT the same as your election day polling place and may not be the same as your normal early voting location. The closest site to SOMA is the Berson Education Center at the Turtleback Zoo. The Irvington early voting site is NOT open for the special election.

  3. Vote on Election Day: This should be your normal polling place. You can look it the location here, and it will also appear on your sample ballot. Polls will be open from 6 am - 8 pm on election day (THURSDAY, February 5th).

Basic Information

Contested race for U.S. House between Democrat Analilia Mejía and Republican Joe Hathaway.

SOMA Action is excited to endorse Analilia Mejía, a strong progressive candidate and organizer who helped win progressive policies like a $15 minimum wage here in New Jersey.

This election is a key opportunity to demonstrate that unabashedly progressive candidates can win suburban districts, and that progressive ideas are popular. A victory will help encourage Democratic candidates across the country not to run away from progressive policies. In contrast, a loss would not only endanger Democrats’ chances of retaking the House, it would mean that our district would be used as a cautionary tale nationwide to smack down progressive candidates.

It is critical that Mejía win and win big. The 11th Congressional District used to be Republican until Mikie Sherrill flipped the seat in 2018. Since then, the district has been redrawn to be more Democratic, but it’s still potentially on the list of target districts for Republicans to retake. A large victory now is an important part of cementing our status as a solid Democratic district and discouraging Republican challengers.

Please return your mail ballot ASAP (or apply for one here to vote early). The earlier you vote, the better the campaign can focus its resources. Also make sure you are signed up for SOMA Action’s email list in order to stay on top of opportunities to canvass and phone bank.

Candidate Information

Analilia Mejía’s website is here. Joe Hathaway’s website is here.

Additional information about Analilia Mejía is available in the 2026 Special Primary Voter Guide.