The push to lower the voting age began in 2020, led by Newark teens Yenjay Hu and Anjali Krishnamurti, who founded Vote16NJ to advocate for expanded voting rights.
Partnering with the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, they argued that young people deserve a say in decisions directly affecting their education, from curriculum changes to budget approvals. “It’s surreal,” said Krishnamurti, now a Harvard student, reflecting on the upcoming election. “This is just the start of a really long movement of young people advocating for their own rights.”
Approximately 1,772 teens—about 25% of those eligible—registered to vote by the March 25 deadline, according to Essex County officials.