Anyone who is a candidate interested in a school board position had until Monday July 30 at 4:00 pm to file their nominating petitions at the Ocean County Clerks Office in order to have their name placed on the November 6 General Election Ballot.

You can pick-up nominating petitions for School Board positions at either the Ocean County Clerk's Main Office, at the Ocean County Courthouse, Election Services, Room 107 at 118 Washington St., Toms River, or at the Ocean County Southern Service Center, 179 South Main St., Manahawkin.

The offices are staffed from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Clerk Scott Colabella says new state laws have resulted in some changes to the petition filing process and candidates can now 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," Colabella said. "In the past, petitions had to be filed separately, even if all the candidates were running on one slate."

Candidates will also now have the option of selecting a slogan of no more than three words to appear on the ballot under their name.

All candidates are now required to file a Disclosure Statement with their petition.

The statement declares a candidate is not a disqualified voter and has not been convicted of a disqualifying crime.

"It's important potential candidates know the requirements in order to help the petition filing process go smoothly," Colabella said. "It's also important that candidates get their paperwork in on time."

He said all Ocean County school districts now hold their Board of Education elections in November.

"A law signed in 2014 moved the petition filing deadline for school board candidates from June to the last Monday in July to provide candidates with more time to submit their petitions," Colabella said.

A total of 72 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 30 deadline at www.oceancountyclerk.com.

School board candidates seeking additional information on the petition filing process can contact the Ocean County Clerk's Election Office at (732) 929-2167.

"The Ocean County Clerk's Office makes every effort to inform potential candidates of approaching filing deadlines and about the process to file," Ocean County Freeholder John P. Kelly, who serves as liaison to the County Clerk, said. "Through the office's website, social media, and other avenues, County Clerk Colabella provides the information needed by both candidates and voters."

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