Salem County Commissioner Races Unresolved After Election Night Scanner Breakdown
Two crucial Salem County commissioner races hung in the balance early Wednesday after a ballot-scanning machine at the county Board of Elections broke down, halting tabulation with approximately 1,800 votes left uncounted. Republican incumbents held early advantages over their Democratic challengers, but the mechanical failure froze the count before either contest could be officially called.
The stalled count leaves control of the county governing body temporarily up in the air. Republicans currently hold a 5-0 majority on the board. If those 1,800 outstanding ballots break heavily for the challengers, Democrats could break that monopoly and regain a foothold in New Jersey’s least populous county.
The Numbers Behind the Stalled Count
Republican incumbent Ed Ramsay led former Democratic Freeholder Charles Hassler by 628 votes, capturing 51.76% of the counted tally compared to Hassler’s 48.01%, or 8,662 votes to 8,034. This contest is a rematch of their 2020 matchup, which Ramsay won by approximately 375 votes.
In the special election to complete an unexpired term, Republican Paul Collier held a wider lead over Democrat John “Buddy” Ayars. Collier, a former Lower Alloways Creek mayor who joined the board in January after Mickey Ostrum resigned to become Salem County Surrogate, pulled ahead with 9,114 votes to Ayars’s 7,853, representing 53.64% of the vote.
| Office / Race | Republican Candidate | Votes (%) | Democratic Candidate | Votes (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Three-Year Term | Ed Ramsay (Incumbent) | 8,662 (51.76%) | Charles Hassler | 8,034 (48.01%) |
| Special Unexpired Term | Paul Collier (Incumbent) | 9,114 (53.64%) | John “Buddy” Ayars | 7,853 (46.22%) |
While Ramsay’s lead is narrower at 628 votes, Hassler faces a mathematical path to close the gap given the roughly 1,800 uncounted ballots remaining. Election officials provided no immediate timetable for when tabulation would resume following the equipment failure.
A Decade of Dramatic County Reversals
Salem County’s modern political history is defined by abrupt shifts. Republicans seized control of the governing board in 2017, even as Hassler unseated then-Republican incumbent Bob Vanderslice. That victory left the GOP with a slim 3-2 majority, which evaporated five days before Christmas when Republican Freeholder Melissa DeCastro crossed party lines with the backing of then-Senate President Steve Sweeney, handing Democrats the majority.
The Republican resurgence arrived in 2018 when Mickey Ostrum defeated DeCastro by 1,151 votes. The GOP steadily expanded its reach from there, culminating in 2022 when retiring Democrat Lee Ware’s seat flipped to the Republicans, completing a transformation from Democratic control in early 2018 to a five-member Republican board four years later.
Now, election administrators must process the remaining 1,800 ballots to determine whether that streak continues or fractures.
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