Gov. Phil Murphy (D) paid a visit to Hoboken High School this afternoon to tout an effort to have 16 and 17 year olds vote in school board races throughout the state.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“The law that [state Senator] Raj [Mukherji D-32] and [Assemblywoman] Cleo [Tucker D-28] are sponsoring, which we are full throatily supporting and working collaboratively with them on, would not just allow it, but to mandate that would be the law of the land in New Jersey,” he said alongside students from an AP Government and Politics class.
“So 16 and 17 year olds voting in school board elections and we would be the first American state to do that and I think that’s a huge potential badge of honor. I suspect you all agree with me,” he said to applause.
Eventually, Murphy said he thinks 16 and 17 year olds “will vote on everything,” but first things first, which is allowing them to vote in the board of education elections in New Jersey. He first came out in support of the initiative in January.
The effort began in August 2023 from the group Vote @16, who kicked off the initiative with a rally at Jersey City City Hall.
Now, Mukherji and state Senator (D-33) Brian Stack, also the Union City mayor, are sponsoring the effort in the upper chamber, with state Senator Andrew Zwicker (D-16) co-sponsoring, while Tucker and Assemblywoman Jessica Ramirez (D-32) are sponsoring in the lower chamber.
The bills were introduced in two committees (one in the Senate and one in the Assembly) in May, but are yet to move.
Nonetheless, Mukherji and Tucker both seemed optimistic during their press event in the Mile Square City today.
“The bill makes a lot of sense, no harm is resulted in other jurisdictions throughout Europe and Latin America, and in the United States – California and Maryland that have tried it. Voting is habit forming: If you start voting at 16, you’re more likely to vote throughout the rest of your life and more likely to inspire others in your household, the adults, to vote,” Mukherji stated.
“I’m just so excited about this because Newark is always first. Wherever the state is going, the country is going, Newark is gonna get there first. So our thing for the young people to vote at age 16 has been signed into law in the City of Newark … So this coming election in April, our students will have a chance to vote in the school board election,” added Tucker.
While Stack and Ramirez were not in attendance today, they vocalized their support via statements issued shortly after the event concluded.
“Giving 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote in school board elections will encourage early civic engagement and empower students to have a direct say in shaping their education. Student’s perspectives offer us valuable insight and deserve to be a part of the process,” stated Stack.
“By allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to participate in school board elections, we would foster their civic engagement. Education is designed to prepare students for real-world experiences; if we could get teens involved in the local voting process, we could make a deep impact in their understanding of how democracy works,” Ramirez noted.
Earlier this year, Murphy signed the “New Voter Empowerment Act,” allowing any registered voter who is 17 years of age by the time of a primary election to vote in that primary if they turn 18 years old on or before the next general election.
Additionally, grassroots groups backing the cause include the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, Action Together New Jersey, Vote16USA, The Gem Project, ACLU-NJ, March for Our Lives New Jersey, and the NAACP New Jersey State Conference Youth and College Division.
Simple answer is no.
Understand that BOE members think that lowering the voter age to school children will help in passing their bloated budgets.
They students already have one or two votes from their parents who hopefully actually pay and understand the consequences school taxes have on the community in a way their children do not and can not understand.