Bergen County is New Jersey's most populous, roughly 950,000 people spread across 70 municipalities, more than any other county in the state. That density of local governments means an unusually crowded down-ballot in 2026. Here's a nonpartisan guide to what Bergen votes on November 3 and why, in a county this fragmented, turnout is the whole game locally.
What's on the ballot in Bergen County?
The statewide and federal races every New Jerseyan sees, the U.S. Senate contest and each voter's U.S. House race, plus Bergen's own layer: county commissioner seats and county offices on their cycle, and, across the county's 70 towns, municipal council seats and school-board races. From Hackensack, the county seat, to Paramus, Fort Lee, Teaneck, Ridgewood, and Englewood, each municipality runs its own local contests.
What shapes Bergen's electorate?
Density and diversity. Bergen is a dense, affluent, and diverse northeastern suburb, home to major commercial hubs like Paramus and a large, varied population. It's a competitive-to-Democratic-leaning county at the top of the ticket, but its many towns have their own local politics, so county and municipal outcomes don't always track the statewide lean. With 70 municipalities, the number of separate local races is enormous, which is exactly what makes turnout and ballot completion so consequential here.
Why turnout decides Bergen's local races
Because in a midterm, turnout falls, and across 70 municipalities the local races are decided by small, low-attention electorates. A council seat or school-board race can turn on a few hundred votes, so the campaigns that identify and turn out their supporters, and remind voters to complete the whole ballot rather than stopping at the Senate race, hold the edge. With New Jersey's early and mail voting widely used, that turnout work runs for weeks across the county.
Frequently asked questions
What's on the 2026 ballot in Bergen County?
The U.S. Senate race and each voter's U.S. House race, plus Bergen's county commissioner and county offices on their cycle, and municipal council and school-board races across the county's 70 municipalities.
How many municipalities are in Bergen County?
Seventy, more than any other New Jersey county. That means an unusually large number of separate municipal and school-board races on the 2026 ballot, each with its own local dynamics.
Why does turnout matter in Bergen's local races?
Because in a midterm, turnout falls and local races across 70 towns are decided by small electorates. A council or school-board seat can turn on a few hundred votes, so identifying and turning out supporters, and getting them to complete the ballot, is decisive.
This reflects the cycle as of the date above. Facts drawn from nonpartisan sources including Ballotpedia and Vote.NJ.Gov.
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