SMELLS LIKE TEEN INDIFFERENCE — “Newark gave 16-and 17-year-olds the right to vote two years ago. They are still learning their power,” by Chalkbeat’s Jessie Gómez: “[O]nly 73 teens voted in their first school board election last April, in a city where nearly 7,300 teens are eligible to vote and overall turnout already hovers around 3% to 4% every year. This year, that momentum has faded even more, overshadowed by the city’s May municipal race and Newark school funding debates. But for the second year in a row, student organizers and other advocates are pushing to turn new voting rights into real participation and prove that student votes can shape decisions in Newark schools. Assatta Mann, community organizing manager for the New Jersey Institute of Social Justice, said building the youth vote in Newark will take time. She called it ‘a muscle that needs to grow’ while pointing to the barriers keeping students from the polls, including limited access to voting sites and a lack of understanding about the school board’s role.”