Voting Age May Be Lowered For Newark School Elections

NEWARK, NJ — Will this be the week that 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds in Newark gain the right to vote in school elections?

On Wednesday, the Newark City Council is scheduled to have a final vote and public hearing for a new law that would lower the local age for board of education elections.

If the proposed law passes, the voting age for Newark school board elections would be lowered from 18 to 16. Read More: Voting At 16? Newark May Lower Age For School Board Elections

The law would add an estimated 7,257 teens – mostly people of color – to the local voter rolls, according to the Newark-based New Jersey Institute For Social Justice (NJISJ).

Only about 3 percent of registered voters turned out for the city’s last school board election, which also included a vote on the annual school budget. Read More: Garcia, Council, James-Frison Win Spots On Newark School Board

See the agenda for the Newark City Council’s Jan. 10 meeting here. Read the full text of the proposed law here.

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