In a very tight contest for the 2nd Congressional seat currently occupied by U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-2), sources say the drive for provisional votes on Election Day could prove critical.

That’s why both sides – Van Drew’s and Democratic challenger Amy Kennedy’s – are working the streets hard in the lead up to the Tuesday, Nov. 3rd election.

Sources say the turnout to date in registered Democrat-rich (but also the political base of Craig Callaway, whom Van Drew paid $110,000 to help get out the vote – Atlantic City and Pleasantville has been underwhelming.

So far, Democrats have the edge over Republicans with ballots returned (41,699 to 32,983; and 26,790 unaffiliated voters), which appears to favor the challenger; but one source estimates Kennedy will need a nice cushion of 16,000 votes in Atlantic County, unless she makes them up elsewhere in other pockets of the sprawling South Jersey district. Another source insisted that the GOP looks less than confident in Van Drew’s home county of Cape May. He is expected to drive big numbers out of there, hence the need for Kennedy to do well in Atlantic, but the Van Drew campaign is paying someone from the Callaway organization to get involved in a local race.

Things are evidently a little more complicated everywhere in CD2 this season.

The total town by town breakdown for the county: