Voter turnout in Newark school elections is historically low, something advocates hope will change by energizing voters at a younger age. More than 1,800 newly eligible teens registered to vote by the March 25 deadline, according to the Department of State. This is about 28% of eligible 16- and 17-year-olds, based on an estimate from the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, one of the groups involved in the push to lower the voting age.
“We’re hoping that today serves as an inspiration, a motivating moment for local officials to go back and kind of finish the job,” said Assatta Mann, senior community organizer at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. “Let young people have a seat at the table, a voice in our other municipal elections.”