Newark Op-Ed: Let’s Ignite Voter Turnout, Councilwoman Says

NEWARK, NJ — The following op-ed comes courtesy of Newark Council President LaMonica McIver, one of several candidates seeking to replace the late U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. in New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District. A special primary election for the seat will take place on July 16.

Despite the critical issues on the ballot for each race, fewer than 2% of eligible Newark voters went to the polls for this past April’s school board election. Earlier this month, just 8.6% of voters statewide cast ballots in New Jersey’s primary election. Across the Garden State, the message is clear: voters are tuning out rather than showing up.

Voter apathy follows a concerning pattern, with state and local elections on a predictable schedule that make for cookie-cutter media coverage of both the issues and the turnout. Afterwards, we rinse and repeat, absent any meaningful change. Solely highlighting low turnout does nothing more than perpetuate the dangerous perception that voting is futile and that if others don’t see the value, why should I? The truth is every single vote does matter and democracy is rooted in full participation by the electorate.

Perhaps, then, we should shift our attention from just defining the problem to devising and implementing real solutions to animate a currently apathetic electorate and ultimately bolster voter participation.

Thankfully in the City of Newark and at the state level, we are making progress by adopting policies to increase voter engagement. Just recently, Newark City Council took a historic ordinance lowering the voting age to 16 for school board races in Newark next year. The law enfranchised 7,000 new voters, bringing youth in the city to the decision-making table on policies that directly impact them. The state is doing its part, too. Thanks to a new law Governor Phil Murphy signed earlier in the year, beginning in 2026, a 17-year-old in New Jersey will be eligible to vote in primary elections as long as the person turns 18 years of age on or before the next general election. With these new local and state voter laws on the books, it’s our job to ensure that these newly-empowered young people show up and flex their muscles by exercising their right to vote.

Campaign teams must be focused on reaching voters directly and encouraging them to get to the polls. Direct voter engagement must always be every candidate’s number one priority. Going door-to-door, meeting with voters where they gather, holding town halls and setting up meetings all lead to greater participation by the electorate. While candidates may love to see their faces on billboards and social media, the path to electoral victory is still cut through retail politics. Elections are won purely through votes, thus successful campaigning is best achieved with direct interaction with voters themselves. Candidates can never lose sight of this.

Our schools must also be our partner and double down efforts to integrate comprehensive civic education into school curriculums, starting at the earliest age. High school classes should conduct mock elections and provide instruction on the various ways to vote and why it’s so important.

Elected officials like me also play a critical role. I proudly sponsor several activities for our city’s youth, promoting their civic engagement and building their confidence to take on leadership roles effectively and responsibly. From providing opportunities for youth to serve as “Councilmember for the Day'' to going into the schools and speaking directly to students about how I serve the community, I am focused on providing young people with a greater understanding of the inner-workings of government and why their involvement is so key in ensuring equity and representation. In every interaction I have with youth, I am the student as much as the teacher. Their fresh perspectives, innovative ideas and creative solutions make me a better policy maker while they see how their input is relevant and change-provoking.

In addition, we create a broad network of support and outreach for youth voters by establishing stronger partnerships with community and youth-serving organizations. Leveraging these organizations to help share age-appropriate materials such as brochures, videos, and infographics that explain the voting process, key issues, and how voting impacts the community are ways to expand awareness.

Encouraging youth voter participation is not just about short-term increases in turnout; it's about fostering lifelong civic participation and building a more inclusive and representative political system. Voting must become a lifelong habit of all our citizens. That is what democracy is all about, and we all need to be a partner in making it happen.

Are you a political candidate seeking office in Essex County? Reach out with op-ed requests and campaign announcements to eric.kiefer@patch.com

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