New Jersey approves recreational cannabis, elects Joe Biden, Cory Booker
New Jersey voters approved legalizing recreational marijuana on Tuesday, and Democrats Joe Biden and Cory Booker won at the top of the ticket in New Jersey's first mostly mail-in election.
New Jersey now joins the District of Columbia and 11 states legalizing recreational cannabis. Though, people could legally buy and use cannabis under the constitutional amendment voters approved by a wide margin, it's unclear how quickly the new market will be set up.
But the Democrat-led Legislature and Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy supported legalization and are expected to move quickly to pass legislation establishing the marketplace.
Booker will head back to Washington for a second full term. His and Biden's victories confirm Democrats바카라 게임 웹사이트 firm control of the state바카라 게임 웹사이트s presidential electors and the party바카라 게임 웹사이트s lock on Senate seats.
Booker won against Rik Mehta, a business executive with a law degree and a doctorate in pharmacy, who staunchly supported the president.
Booker is the former mayor of Newark, the state바카라 게임 웹사이트s biggest city, and a national political figure who unsuccessfully challenged Biden and other Democrats for the presidential nomination this year.
He spent some of his final days campaigning in other states with close Senate races, just one sign of how optimistic he was about his own race against Mehta.
New Jersey has not elected a Republican to the Senate since Clifford Case in 1972.
Booker won a special election in 2013 after the death of Democrat Frank Lautenberg. He won his first full term in 2014.
New Jersey held its first mostly mail-in election 바카라 게임 웹사이트 the state바카라 게임 웹사이트s response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Some people, including those concerned over voting by mail, decided to cast ballots in person Tuesday, but lines were not long at most polling spots as strong winds swirled across the state and temperatures were in the low 50s.
Nearly 3.8 million voters had returned ballots to county officials before the polls closed, state election authorities have said. That바카라 게임 웹사이트s 95% of 2016바카라 게임 웹사이트s turnout.
The closest races appear to be for House seats. Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew is trying to win a second term against Democrat Amy Kennedy. Van Drew drew national attention in December when he left the Democratic Party for the GOP because he opposed impeaching Trump.
Also closely being watched are the 3rd District race, where freshman Democrat Andy Kim faces Republican David Richter, and the 7th District contest between Democratic freshman Rep. Tom Malinowski and Republican Tom Kean Jr.
Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill won a second term in her northern New Jersey district over Republican challenger Rosemary Becchi.
The mail-in election wasn't without voter frustration.
While millions already mailed or dropped their ballots off, some were expecting to vote on a machine when they showed up in person, despite advisories notifying voters they'd be casting their mail-in ballot in person, not on a machine.
Christopher Krosnodomskie, an electrician from Hamilton, said he showed up in person because he was worried his ballot would get lost or thrown out. He wasn't pleased with the experience.
바카라 게임 웹사이트It was terrible. That바카라 게임 웹사이트s why I came here just to vote on a machine,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said after casting his ballot at Hamilton High School West. 바카라 게임 웹사이트I'm still doing the (paper) ballot thing. I'm not really too sure how that's going to work.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy cited the coronavirus outbreak when he first signed the order this summer. At the time, the state saw a decline in COVID-19 cases and was steadily reopening. Now the numbers are headed upward, and Murphy hasn바카라 게임 웹사이트t announced plans to expand indoor dining, which stands at 25% capacity.
Voters began receiving their ballots in late September and had several ways of casting them. They could return them through the mail, drop them in an official drop box, or take them to their polling place on Election Day. Each county had at least 10 drop boxes, though a number had many more.
It바카라 게임 웹사이트s unclear how soon the votes might be tallied, but the same law that established this year바카라 게임 웹사이트s mail-in vote also permitted county boards of elections to begin opening and counting ballots 10 days before Election Day.
Carrie Rogers, 44, voted for Biden, even though she doesn바카라 게임 웹사이트t think he is a 바카라 게임 웹사이트fantastic candidate.바카라 게임 웹사이트
바카라 게임 웹사이트But I believe he will at least bring the country together and we will be less divided,바카라 게임 웹사이트 the software development manager from Mount Laurel, New Jersey, said.
It바카라 게임 웹사이트s the lack of leadership that was the bigger issue for Rogers.
바카라 게임 웹사이트We currently have a president who encourages bullying and division among the country and we need someone at the helm who is a real leader,바카라 게임 웹사이트 she said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트I do not want Trump to be president for one more day.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Jennifer Strano, 48, a college student studying to be a medical office assistant, lives in Hamilton and cast her ballot weeks ago at a drop box. A Republican, Strano said re-electing Trump was a key issue for her. She credited him for handling the COVID-19 outbreak well, specifically citing getting supplies to states and limiting travel from foreign countries.
She's worried about Biden, she said.
바카라 게임 웹사이트He scares me with where he is heading with the country, very socialist, almost communistic,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Strano said.