8 candidates are tracked across 3 Passaic County races for the 2026 election, led by the Passaic County Commissioner contest. Preview your Passaic County, New Jersey sample ballot for 2026: browse tracked local races, then enter your ZIP code to confirm which districts and offices appear on your exact ballot.
These race previews show candidates we’re tracking now. A ZIP code shows your statewide and congressional races; a street address adds county and city contests.
Enter your ZIP code at theballotbrief.com to see your exact 2026 ballot.
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Local Snapshot
Election DayNov. 3, 2026
StateNew Jersey
Races Listed3
Profiles8
Passaic County Sample Ballot 2026: Races We’re Tracking
Local races are address-specific. This guide previews tracked contests, while the lookup tool narrows the list to a voter’s exact address. Tap any name to see the race, full candidate profiles, and everything else on your exact ballot.
Two three-year seats are up in 2026. Democratic incumbent Orlando Cruz, first sworn in as commissioner in 2023, and Democrat Nick Veliky, appointed earlier in 2026 to a Board of Commissioners vacancy and now seeking a full term, won their party's nomination at the June 2, 2026 primary and face Republicans Ed Leonard, a Wanaque councilman, and John Rodriguez, a former law enforcement official and NJ Transit locomotive engineer, per New Jersey Globe reporting. This is separate from the unexpired-term commissioner seat also on the November ballot (see below).
Orlando Cruz · DemocraticIncumbent▾
Orlando Cruz is president of the Greater Paterson Chamber of Commerce and previously served as executive director of the Downtown Paterson Special Improvement District, per New Jersey Globe reporting. A Paterson native who attended Eastside High School, he began his career as a professional DJ before rising to chief operations officer at a Northeast entertainment company, per TAPinto Paterson. He was sworn in as Passaic County Commissioner in 2023. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Orlando Cruz.
Nick Veliky was appointed to the Passaic County Board of County Commissioners in 2026 to fill the vacancy left by John Bartlett's resignation, per the West Milford Messenger. He works in marketing and business development, previously served as president of the Clifton Democratic Club, and is an ordained permanent deacon in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Nick Veliky.
Ed Leonard serves as Council President of the Wanaque Borough Council, where he chairs committees including Ordinances, Public Works, Sewer, and Veterans, per the borough's official website. He was selected as the Passaic County Republican Organization's nominee for county commissioner after original primary winner Daniel Sagan withdrew from the race, per New Jersey Globe. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Ed Leonard.
John Rodriguez is a former law enforcement official and a career New Jersey Transit locomotive engineer, per New Jersey Globe reporting on the Passaic County commissioner race. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for John Rodriguez.
A thirteen-month unexpired term created by Commissioner John Bartlett's resignation (he left to become general counsel of the Gateway Development Corporation); the winner serves through December 31, 2027. Haledon Councilwoman Aleksandra Tasic was selected as the Democratic nominee by the Passaic County Democratic Committee, and Passaic City businessman Marko Kopec was selected as the Republican nominee, per New Jersey Globe reporting.
Aleksandra Tasic · Democratic▾
Aleksandra Tasic is an attorney and a Haledon Councilwoman, per New Jersey Globe reporting. She was selected by the Passaic County Democratic Committee's screening committee as its nominee to fill the unexpired County Commissioner term left vacant by John Bartlett's resignation. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Aleksandra Tasic.
Marko Kopec appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Passaic County Commissioner (Unexpired Term), per the county elections office's certified candidate list. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Marko Kopec.
A five-year term. Democratic incumbent Zoila Cassanova, first elected in 2021, is seeking a second term unopposed within her own party and faces Republican Jessica Sprague, a family law attorney, in the general election, per New Jersey Globe reporting.
Zoila Cassanova · DemocraticIncumbent▾
Zoila Cassanova is a former attorney with the New York Supreme Court's Criminal Division in Queens and the Bronx, per New Jersey Globe. She was first elected Passaic County Surrogate in 2021 and is seeking a second five-year term. As Surrogate, she has hosted a free guardianship-application clinic and an annual disability-inclusion event for county families, per an official county news release. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official roster and election filing is the only verifiable source for Zoila Cassanova.
Jessica Sprague is a shareholder at Jardim Meisner Salmon Sprague & Susser specializing in family and matrimonial law, and is certified as a Matrimonial Attorney by the New Jersey Supreme Court, per her law firm's attorney profile. She served as the 100th President of the Passaic County Bar Association and currently serves as general counsel for the Passaic County Regular Republican Organization. She holds a B.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Jessica Sprague.
Note: Use address lookup for your exact ballot; local pages preview tracked races.Profiles: Hand-verified profiles are added race by race; always confirm with the official election office linked above.
