Early voting is already underway in the special general election for New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, and Morris County residents have multiple local polling locations to choose from.
The race will decide who fills the seat left vacant by Mikie Sherrill, who resigned from Congress in November 2025 after winning the New Jersey governor’s race. The 11th District covers parts of Morris, Essex, and Passaic counties, putting Denville squarely in the middle of one of the most closely watched congressional races in the country.
Who Is on the Ballot?
Two candidates are competing for the seat.
Analilia Mejia (Democrat) is a progressive organizer and former national political director for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign. Mejia won a crowded 11-person Democratic primary on February 5 in a narrow upset over former Congressman Tom Malinowski. She has been endorsed by Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Her campaign priorities include lowering healthcare costs, canceling student loan debt, and guaranteeing national paid sick days.
Joe Hathaway (Republican) is a Randolph Township councilman and former mayor who works in corporate communications. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary. Hathaway has positioned himself as a moderate focused on working across the aisle, with a campaign centered on public safety, fiscal responsibility, and bipartisan problem-solving.
An independent candidate, Alan Bond, is also on the ballot.
The Only Debate
Mejia and Hathaway faced off in a single virtual debate on April 1, hosted by the New Jersey Globe. The candidates clashed on healthcare, immigration enforcement, the war in Gaza, and who better represents the values of the district. Hathaway portrayed Mejia as too far left for the suburban district, while Mejia characterized Hathaway as aligned with the Trump administration’s agenda.
Why This Race Matters Nationally
The 11th District special election is drawing major national attention. Republicans currently hold a slim 218-213 majority in the U.S. House, with several seats vacant. A Democratic win here would tighten that margin even further heading into the 2026 midterms.
Sherrill flipped this seat from Republican to Democrat in 2018 and held it through three re-elections. The district has trended more Democratic in recent years, with Kamala Harris carrying it by nearly 9 points in the 2024 presidential election and Sherrill winning the gubernatorial race here by about 15 points.
How Morris County Residents Can Vote
Early voting runs through Tuesday, April 14. Morris County has six early voting locations:
- Denville, 1 Saint Mary’s Place, Denville 07834
- Central Park of Morris County, 2 Executive Drive, Morris Plains 07950
- Morristown Municipal Building, 200 South Street, Morristown 07960
- Boonton Township, 155 Powerville Rd, Boonton Township 07005
- Hanover, 15 N. Jefferson Rd, Whippany 07981
- Madison, 50 Kings Rd, Madison 07940
Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Election Day is Thursday, April 16. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at your assigned polling place. You can confirm your polling location at vote.nj.gov.
Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and sincerely received by the county Board of Elections within six days after polls close. Ballots can also be dropped in a secure ballot drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Note that the voter registration deadline for this election has already passed (March 26).
What Comes Next
This special election only fills the remainder of Sherrill’s term, which runs through January 2027. A separate primary election on June 2 and general election on November 3 will determine who represents the 11th District for a full two-year term starting in January 2027. Both Mejia and Hathaway are expected to run again in those races.
