The Newark City Council today voted to lower the voting age to sixteen in school board elections, becoming the first municipality in New Jersey to do so.

The vote came one day after Gov. Phil Murphy announced his support for lowering the voting age to sixteen statewide for Board of Education races.

“This is what democracy looks like – right here in Newark, New Jersey,” said Ryan Haygood, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice president and a staunch advocate for the local ordinance.“More than 7,000 16- and 17-year-olds, 90% of whom are Black and Brown, can now speak for themselves at the ballot box about who will decide everyday school issues that shape their lives.