500 Newark Students Register To Vote In Their 1st Election

NEWARK, NJ — For those seeking an inspirational Election Day story, look to the students of the Newark Public School District.

In a massive show of civic duty, nearly 500 students of legal age in the district registered to vote in the 2018 midterm election during a school outreach effort last month, administrators reported Tuesday.

In addition to the hundreds of teen voters who will be taking part in their first election, more than 3,000 students throughout the district participated in a “mock vote” on an important public question on this year’s ballot that will determine the type of school board that the Newark district has (Type 1 or Type 2).

• See related article: Public Question Will Affect Newark School Board (Here’s How)

Here’s how the 3,480 participating students voted in their mock election:

• Type 1 – 741 (21.3%)
• Type 2 – 2,739 (78.7%)

According to school officials, voter registration was held at every Newark High School for students not already registered to vote, and for those turning 18 before Election Day. Students were registered with the help of the Rutgers-Newark campus of the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group.

The 2018 mid-term elections are the first time the Newark Board of Education has attempted to engage students on this level of civic engagement, administrators said.

“I’m proud of the students who registered to vote, who voted in the mock election and those who participated in Civics in the Classroom Day,” Superintendent of Newark Schools Roger León said. “It’s our hope they will continue to participate in civic engagement throughout their lifetime.”

"The success of our students and our district will be measured in part by how we engage our students in real life experiences," León added. "One of the priorities of my administration is to give students a voice in their future - civic engagement is an integral part of any life experience - it not only gives students a voice, it also educates them about how they as individuals, can make a difference."

• See related article: REAL-TIME RESULTS: 2018 NJ Elections, Key Races To Watch

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Photos: Newark Public School District