As of the March 25 voter registration deadline, 1,832 Newark teens had registered to vote in today’s election, according to the Department of State. This is about 28% of eligible young people, based on an estimate from the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, which advocates for racial and social justice, including by expanding voting rights.
The new voters became eligible after a statewide student-led campaign to give young people a say in elections that directly impact them. Students worked alongside the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice.
Voting will look the same for these new voters as it does for people 18 and older, according to Micauri Vargas, associate counsel at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. Young people who provided the last four digits of their Social Security number at registration will not be required to provide any other kind of identification at the polls, she said. If they did not provide that information at registration, they will need to show their identification.