My name is Ethel Hermenau, and I am on the Galloway School Board, however, this article is not on behalf of the Galloway school board. This is my personal opinions as a mother, grandmother and citizen of the United States. It is also not the opinions of Liberty and Prosperity but all my sole opinions.  Thank you!

The Elephant in the Room: Why the Atlantic County Clerk Matters More Than You May Think

By Ethel Hermenau

Let’s start with the elephant in the room: election integrity.

With elections approaching, I believe voters have a responsibility to understand not only who is on the ballot, but what the offices they are voting for actually do.

Recently, New Jersey disclosed a significant voter-registration problem involving a software error in the Motor Vehicle Commission system. Approximately 6,600 people who had indicated that they were not U.S. citizens were improperly registered to vote between June 2023 and June 2024. The state’s preliminary review found that approximately 340 people who were newly registered because of that error subsequently voted. The state has removed thousands of registrations created solely because of the error and placed other affected registrations into rejected status pending additional review. The investigation into how the error occurred remains ongoing.

To be accurate, this does not mean that 6,600 undocumented immigrants voted. That has not been established. What has been established is that thousands of people who indicated they were not U.S. citizens were improperly entered into the voter-registration system and that hundreds of people newly registered through the error subsequently voted.

That should matter to every voter.

Election integrity means making sure eligible citizens can vote, ineligible people cannot vote, voter records are accurate, and every lawful vote is protected.

And that brings me to an office that many voters may know very little about the Atlantic County Clerk.

So, What Does the County Clerk Actually Do?

The County Clerk is a countywide elected constitutional officer who serves a five-year term. But many people mistakenly think the Clerk’s Office is simply the “elections office.”

It is much more than that.

According to the Atlantic County Clerk’s Office, its Election Department is responsible for candidate petitions and filings, ballot drawing, processing vote-by-mail applications, issuing vote-by-mail ballots, official machine ballots, preparation of sample ballots and certification of elections.

At the same time, the County Clerk’s Office has another major responsibility that is especially important in a county with as much real-estate activity as Atlantic County: recording property documents.

As Register of Deeds and Mortgages, the Clerk’s Office reviews documents presented for recording to ensure they meet statutory requirements and, when they do, records them in the public record.

That means deeds, mortgages and other property records that attorneys, title companies, lenders, Realtors®, buyers and sellers depend upon are part of the Clerk’s responsibilities.

The office also provides services involving passports, notaries, trade names, public records, veterans’ identification and property-fraud protection.

In fact, the Atlantic County Clerk’s Property Fraud Alert program allows residents to receive an electronic notification when a document is recorded in their name—a valuable tool for protecting property owners against fraudulent deeds, mortgages and liens.

There is another point voters should understand.

The County Clerk does not personally run every aspect of an election.

Atlantic County has separate election officials with different responsibilities. The Clerk handles functions such as ballots, candidate filings, vote-by-mail processing and certification, while the Superintendent of Elections/Commissioner of Registration handles voter registration and voting machines, and the Board of Elections has responsibilities including polling locations, poll workers, drop boxes and receipt of completed vote-by-mail ballots.

That distinction matters.

A County Clerk must follow the statutes governing the office. The Clerk does not simply make up election rules.

Why I Wanted to Hear Directly from Joe Giralo

I reached out to Atlantic County Clerk Joe Giralo because I wanted to hear directly from the person currently holding the office.

I asked him how long he has been involved, what changes he has made, how he views election integrity, what voters should understand about the office and what he believes his mission should be moving forward.

Giralo told me he has served as County Clerk for five years and that he regularly speaks with the public about changes in election law and the different ways people can vote.

He emphasized that Title 19, New Jersey’s election statutes, changes frequently and that voters need to stay informed.

He also made an important point about the role of a County Clerk: Clerks do not make up election policies; they are required to follow New Jersey law.

That is an important distinction when voters evaluate anyone running for this office.

What Has Changed Under Giralo?

Giralo pointed to several changes during his tenure.

Among them is the Property Alert Program, designed to notify property owners when documents are recorded in their names.

He also described a new County Clerk website that is updated regularly and provides information about public records, elected officials, election certifications, notaries, passports and other Clerk’s Office services.

He said his office also reinstated the Veterans ID Program and worked to address a significant backlog in recorded documents.

According to Giralo, when he took office, records were approximately 18 months behind. He says the office has since brought that backlog down so that records are generally on file within approximately 10 days.

He also pointed to the implementation of Daniel’s Law as a major undertaking involving the recording of documents.

Experience Matters in an Office Like This!   One thing Giralo emphasized to me was experience.

Before becoming County Clerk, he said he had already spent nearly 40 years in county government.

He is also a history major, and he told me that his understanding of the historical development of the Clerk’s Office—from its early roots through its modern responsibilities—has helped shape how he approaches the position.

He also served as a Section Chief for county clerks statewide through the Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey (COANJ).

Giralo said that experience gave him the opportunity to work with county clerks across the state, learn from different counties and share best practices.

He described that collaboration as one of the most valuable aspects of his public service.

What About Republicans and Democrats?

I specifically asked Giralo about the differences between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to election integrity.  His answer surprised me in an important way.

He told me that after working with both Democrats and Republicans statewide, he believes that the vast majority of people working in elections want elections to be safe and fair.

He acknowledged that there can be philosophical differences about how election systems should operate, but he returned to the same point: the County Clerk’s responsibility is to follow the law.

He also cautioned voters against assuming that every Republican or every Democrat thinks exactly alike.  His message was that political parties contain many different viewpoints, while the responsibility of the County Clerk is to follow the statutes and do the work of the people.

And Then There Is the Person Behind the Office

I want to make something clear.

This article is about the candidate I am voting for and what I learned by speaking with him. I am not writing this article to attack or promote the opposing candidate.

I am a Republican. I am a conservative. My Christian faith is a central part of who I am, and those principles naturally influence how I look at public service, government and the responsibility we have as citizens.

But I also believe that voters should look beyond party labels and take the time to understand the office and the person seeking to hold it.

I have seen Joe Giralo many times over the years. I have listened to him speak publicly.

What I have observed is a man who speaks about his work with the perspective of someone who has spent decades in government and who appears deeply invested in serving the people of Atlantic County.

That matters to me and I am sure it matters to you.

Joe Giralo’s Mission for 2026

When I asked Giralo what his mission statement would be for 2026, his answer centered on something he believes history has repeatedly demonstrated: government works best when people are willing to work together and exchange ideas.

He told me:

“Government functions the best when it operates in the middle.”

He said that, as a student of history and after decades in public life, he has seen extremes come and go, while cooperation and the sharing of ideas can produce lasting progress.

Whether you agree with every part of that philosophy or not, it is worth hearing directly from the person who currently holds the office.

So Why Am I Voting for Joe Giralo?

After looking at what the County Clerk’s Office actually does, speaking directly with Joe Giralo and considering his years of government experience and the changes he says he has implemented, I will be voting for Joe Giralo for Atlantic County Clerk.

For me, this election is about more than a party designation.

It is about experience.

It is about understanding the responsibilities of the office.

It is about transparency.

It is about accurate records.

It is about protecting the integrity of our elections while making sure eligible citizens can exercise their right to vote.

And it is about having an elected official who understands that public office is ultimately about serving the people.

The recent New Jersey voter-registration software problem is a reminder that systems need oversight, records need accuracy and election administration deserves our attention. New Jersey officials are continuing to investigate the software error and review affected registrations.

That is why I believe voters should pay attention to this race.

Character Is the Foundation of Leadership!

There is one more thing I want to share about Joe Giralo that cannot be found in a résumé or an election statistic.

If you visit Joe’s Facebook page, you will notice something he does consistently: almost every day, he shares an uplifting thought, message or saying intended to encourage and inspire people.

That may seem like a small thing to some people. I don’t think it is.

To me, it says something about character.

In a world where public conversation can so often become angry, divisive and negative, I notice when someone makes a conscious effort to encourage people, lift them up and remind them that there is still good in the world.

That tells me something about the man I see.

I see Joe as a man of faith—a man who fears God, cares about people and genuinely wants to see others succeed and thrive. Of course, I cannot speak for what is in another person’s heart, but I can speak about what I have personally observed. And what I have observed has made an impression on me.

George Washington once wrote of the qualities he believed were essential to a healthy nation: “do Justice, to love mercy” and to practice “Charity” and humility toward our fellow citizens.

Those words remind me that leadership is not only about policies, titles or political parties.

Leadership begins with character.

And character is something I believe we should pay attention to when choosing the people we entrust with public office.

That is another reason Joe Giralo has my vote!

Joe Giralo for Atlantic County Clerk

 check out the above website in blue.  My house is voting for Joe Giralo for Atlantic County Clerk.