Voter Turnout ‘Dismally Low’ For Newark City Election, Advocates Say

NEWARK, NJ — While Newark’s voter turnout was “dismally low” on Tuesday, it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise to many people in New Jersey’s largest city, some local advocates say.

With voter turnout hovering around 10 percent in Newark’s nonpartisan municipal election, representatives of three Newark nonprofits released a joint analysis about the issue on Thursday. Read More: Newark Mayor, Council Election Results: Some Runoffs Likely (Updated)

According to Ryan Haygood, president and CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice (NJISJ), Deborah Smith Gregory, president of the Newark NAACP, and Vivian Cox Fraser, president and CEO of the Urban League of Essex County:

“Tuesday’s municipal election in Newark had a dismally low voter turnout. While disappointing, it was hardly surprising given the long history of low turnout in Newark. The NJISJ 2020 report Our Vote, Our Power: Lifting Up Democracy’s Voices in the Garden State explored that history, asked people in Newark why people are not voting and based on those responses, proposed concrete policies to address those issues.”

The report identified several major barriers that are hampering voter turnout in Newark, as well as other cities and towns in New Jersey:

• Lack of Voter Knowledge – “Many voters do not have knowledge about how each part of the government works, about when elections are, and about who the candidates are.”
• Systemic Barriers to Voting – “There are a number of obstacles to casting a vote, ranging from registration challenges to busy schedules on a weekday.”
• A Restricted Electorate – “Artificial restrictions on who can vote have limited the democratic process.”
• Limitations to our Representative Democracy – “Too many people decide not to vote because they believe that the system is not responsive to them and the winners seem predetermined.”

“This year's mayoral election underscores the need for us to enact these policies, which include moving elections to November, enacting same-day registration and comprehensive civics education, and being more mindful of language access,” advocates said.

"If we want more people to participate in our democracy, we must make sure people feel invested and represented by their elected officials, believe their votes matter and tear down the systemic barriers we've erected,” they concluded.

ELECTION DAY VOTING ISSUES IN NEWARK

Some Newark voters reported running into issues on Tuesday, including confusion over polling places.

Mayor Ras Baraka – who is leading challenger Sheila Montague by a wide margin – blamed the Essex County Board of Elections, which only days before the election, had switched a number of polling places in the city. The mayor alleged that many Black and Brown voters were disenfranchised as a result, and has since demanded the resignations of the entire board, NJ.com reported.

Prior to Election Day, Baraka appealed to a Superior Court judge to allow voters to turn in ballots at any polling place in their ward. The request was denied after a short hearing on Monday, the New Jersey Globe reported.

“There were a lot of changes based on the new Congressional map, and a lot of people got moved,” Essex County Clerk Chris Durkin told TAPinto Newark, referencing the mandatory redistricting that takes place once every 10 years.

Durkin said that polling places remained the same for most voters in Newark, but added that “a percentage” did see a change.

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