Rahmir Walker, a Graphic Design major at Saint Peter’s University, explains not having known much information about the upcoming congressional election. After reading through the infographics created for this project (below), Walker feels more comfortable voting this June and November.

Exercise your right to vote in the 2022 Congressional election.

New Jersey’s Congressional Election

By Karina Diaz

If you are eligible to vote, want to see change in the community to better your quality of life and the lives of your loved ones, know who you are voting for in the Congressional Election 2022.

Rahmir Walker, a college freshman at Saint Peter’s University, was born and raised in New Jersey’s 10th District, and will be voting for the first time to elect an individual to represent his community in Congress. However, like many others, he doesn’t know exactly who his candidates are nor what a congressional representative does.

“I haven’t seen any posters or really anything promoting the congressional election,” he says.

Voting citizens that are registered as either Democrats or Republicans are permitted to vote in the primary elections June 7, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., in order to select their party’s candidates. The general election to vote for a district’s representative will take place on November 8. In-person early voting is being held at specific locations from June 3 – June 5 and the general election early voting begins October 29 through November 5.

According to the U.S. Capitol Visiting Center, Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government that represents the American people and makes the nation’s laws through debate and compromise. Elected through popular vote every 2 years, representatives advocate for the federal money that pays for the infrastructure that facilitates our daily lives.

“Your federal elected officials are critically important to an individual’s daily life as it is your federal elected officials who advocate for federal dollars that impact health care, education, transportation, and many of the resources and infrastructure people use on a daily basis,” explains Press Secretary to New Jersey’s Senator Bob Menendez, Jennifer Morrill.

The 10th Congressional District comprises parts of Hudson, Essex and Union counties including Bayonne and Jersey City, Bloomfield, Newark, the Oranges, Glen Ridge, Irvington, Montclair and Maplewood, Hillside, Linden, Rahway, Roselle, Roselle Park and Union Township.

Democratic candidates for the 10th district include Imani Oakley, Donald Payne Jr. and Akil Khalfani, and Republican candidates are David Pinckney and Garth Stewart, according to ballotpedia.org.

Oakley is running to be the 1st Congresswoman and 1st Black Congresswoman in NJ’s 10th District and, according to www.oakley4congress.com, she stands for democracy while fighting for marginalized communities, economic and racial justice, a Green New Deal, Medicare for All and fair democracy.

Payne Jr. is the incumbent candidate and has served since 2013, advocating for the Affordable Health Care Act, the funding for the Gateway Project and the Safer Neighborhoods Gun Buyback Act of 2019.

Khalfani was born and raised in Teaneck, NJ, currently lives in West Orange and is an advocate for inequality and injustices in our American society. 

If, before you step into the voting booth or receive your mail-in ballot, you want to know what it will look like, please visit ballotpedia.org.