NEWARK, NJ — Nearly 100 students from a high school in Newark took a “march to the polls” on Monday to vote in the 2026 board of education election – a real-life lesson in civics that one educator called a “proud moment” for the Brick City.
Two years ago, Newark became the first city in New Jersey to lower the voting age to 16 for local school board elections. Turnout has been lower than hoped for, but advocates and educators continue their efforts to encourage the city’s youth to hit the polls on Election Day.
On Monday, dozens of students from Great Oaks Legacy Charter School answered that call to action.
Beginning at the high school campus on Crawford Street, students marched to Newark City Hall, where eligible 16, 17 and 18-year-old voters cast their mail-in ballots.
The march came after months of student-led civic engagement through the school’s student advocacy club, including voter registration drives and participation in the Vote 16 campaign and initiatives led by the GEM Project.