UPDATED: Elections 2012 in New Brunswick

Voters entering several poll sites around New Brunswick on Tuesday were greeted with people holding up large signs and handing out fliers urging them to vote no on this year's municipal question.

The question of whether New Brunswick should switch from an appointed school board to an elected one was approved to be put on the ballot in September, petitioned by city resident Yolonda Baker.

At Lord Stirling Community School, Walter Virgil, an employee of the city Recreation Department, coordinated a group passing out literature paid for by The Committee to Keep Politics Out of Our Schools.

Virgil said an elected board would bring in people with political agendas. The appointed board members in New Brunswick are all members of the New Brunswick community, and qualified to hold their positions, he said.

Virgil said that many of the people he spoke to outside of the polls voted no on the question. He said he was making an effort to speak with college students, asking them if they were informed on the effect that their vote would have on New Brunswick.

"Hopefully what I share with them will plant a seed (to think about)," he said.

Virgil said he still respected the choice of the voters, despite hoping for the defeat of the municipal question.

"It's still their choice," he said.

Over at the New Brunswick Senior Resource Center, voters walked past a huge split tree that was lying across the center's bocce ball courts, a reminder of Hurricane Sandy's effect on New Brunswick.

New Brunswick Democratic Committeman Joe Catanese said the resource center had lines for the poll early in the day, and he spent the morning chatting with voters, including some students.

One student came solely to cast her vote for president, he said.

"(It was) interesting that she felt she isn't informed enough on local issues to make a choice..but she still wanted to exercise her right to vote," he said.

Do you still need information for Election Day? Find below a guide to elections in New Brunswick:

Polling Places in New Brunswick

All polling locations are in their usual spot, except one: The polling location at the Rutgers Labor Education Center has been moved to Woodrow Wilson School. Free transportation to the school is available at the Center.

http://newbrunswick.patch.com/articles/change-announced-to-new-brunswick-polling-location-for-election-day

Council, Freeholder, Congressional, Senate and Presidential Races

City council is uncontested, and has three candidates running for three seats: Incumbent Betsy Garlatti and incumbent Glenn Fleming are joined by newcomer John A. Anderson.

Garlatti, Fleming and Anderson were challenged by three newcomers in June, but all three dropped out of the race in September.

Check out a candidate bio for Anderson here. Garlatti and Fleming did not fill out bios on New Brunswick Patch.

The Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders has four candidates vying for two three-year terms. Incumbent Democrats H. James Polos and Ronald Rios are challenged by Republican newcomers Abrar "Sam" Khan and Roger W. Daley.

Democratic Incumbent Congressional representative Frank Pallone is again challenged by Republican newcomer Anna Little. Pallone defeated Little in 2010.

Democrat Robert Menendez is running against Republican Sen. Joe Kyrillos for one six-year Senate seat.

Democratic President Barack Obama is challenged by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Obama is the predicted favorite for NJ's electoral votes.

Municipal Question

Voters will decide whether or not New Brunswick should switch to an elected board of education versus an appointed one.

http://newbrunswick.patch.com/articles/new-brunswick-residents-to-vote-on-two-education-ballot-questions

State Questions

Voters in New Jersey will vote on two public questions: The first asks whether the state should allot $750 million to colleges and universities throughout the state to improve infrastructure. The second would be a constitutional amendment that would require judges to contribute to their benefits.

Explanations of both questions can be found here.

Cover It Live

We will be running a region-wide Cover It Live blog on election day, featuring live chat with Patch editors and readers, tweets, stories, and other information related to the elections. Join the conversation by clicking here.