Livingston residents can attend two candidate forums and a ranked-choice voting demonstration in September and October ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.

The League of Women Voters of Livingston announced the three events in a letter published in the West Essex Tribune. All three take place at 7 p.m. at the Livingston Senior Community Center.

The first event is Thursday, Sept. 10: a "Rank the Dessert" session where attendees will sample and rank desserts to learn how ranked-choice voting works. The method is used in parts of the country but not yet in New Jersey. RSVPs are requested at VCNJ.org/events.

On Thursday, Sept. 17, the league will hold a forum for the District 4 seat on the Essex County Board of Commissioners. Republican Adam Kraemer and Democrat Leonard Luciano will take questions at the Senior Community Center on Hillside Avenue.

District 4 covers Livingston, Millburn, West Orange, Verona, Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Fairfield, North Caldwell, Roseland and West Caldwell, according to Patch. Neither candidate faced a primary challenge. The nine-member board acts as the county's legislature, approving contracts and the annual budget, according to Montclair Local.

On Wednesday, Oct. 7, the league will host a forum for the one open seat on the Livingston Board of Education. The candidates are Neal Ashinsky and incumbent Fang Gong.

Gong, first elected in 2023, is running on a platform of "Accountability, Belonging and Compassion." In an Aug. 5 Patch profile announcing her re-election bid, she said the 2026–2027 school budget and a potential facilities referendum are her top issues.

She holds a master of public administration degree from Rutgers University and serves as Livingston's voting delegate to the New Jersey School Boards Association.

"Early in my term, a former board member shared something that stayed with me: the first three years are the learning years …" Gong said in the Aug. 5 Patch article.

No public profile or campaign statement from Ashinsky was available as of publication.

Amy Ipp and Robin Weiss, co-presidents of the League of Women Voters of Livingston, also reminded residents that mail-in ballots will be sent on or about Sept. 21. They urged anyone with a college student away from home to make sure the student can vote by mail.

The last day to register to vote for the Nov. 3 election is Oct. 13. Residents can return mail-in ballots using the secure drop box behind Livingston Town Hall.