Ridgewood Election Consolidation Group Turns To Courts For Help

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — One Village, One Vote's quest for election consolidation was dealt a blow last week when the Village Clerk denied their ballot question proposal for yet-to-be-disclosed deficiencies.

Yet on Monday, with the ballot change deadline approaching, the group announced they had made their last ditch effort.

In a statement posted to the One Village, One Vote website, the group said:

"After the clerk’s rejection, our committee explored our options, none of which were attractive. Essentially, given the August 31st deadline for ballot changes, we were presented with two choices. We could walk away or engage legal counsel. After much debate and discussion, we have filed for emergency relief and are requesting that the court place our question on the November 2020 ballot."

The plot thickens.

One Village, One Vote, in their statement, said they would have preferred to leave legal counsel out of the matter, but felt they had no other choice.

"We began this journey as citizens believing that a citizen’s petition should be accessible and executable without legal counsel. Sadly, this has proven impossible," they said.

In a previous statement from the group, they said the Village Clerk told them her decision would be explained at a Sept. 2 council meeting, two days after the deadline for ballot changes.

Related: Ridgewood Election Consolidation Petitions 'Rejected' Again

Related: Ridgewood Election Consolidation Effort Hits Roadblock

Related: Ridgewood Election Consolidation Effort Meets Deadline

So what's this all about?

One Village, One Vote is seeking to consolidate Ridgewood's Board of Education elections, held annually in April, and Village Council elections, held biannually in May, to the date of the General Election in November.

Twice now, they've submitted more than enough signatures, and twice those signatures have been declined due to deficiencies.

The first round of deficiencies wasn't entirely unexpected, the group said, but the second effort's rejection came as a surprise to the group.

"Given that we resubmitted a petition that fully addressed the Clerk's initial concerns, we are stumped," they said.

Election consolidation isn't a new issue in Ridgewood, and the decision to move Board of Education elections and Village Council elections to different dates isn't all that old.

The Village Council voted to move school board elections back to April in 2019, which allows voters to vote on the school district's budget.

According to a 2018 Patch report, 67 percent of villagers' tax bills go to the school district.

November elections in New Jersey don't require voter approval for school budgets, unless the proposed budget increases by more than 2 percent. In April, however, votes are cast on the budget regardless of increase.

Mayor Ramon Hache, at that 2018 meeting, said the decision was about right and wrong.

"It's not about making people happy. It's about what is right; 67 percent of tax dollars is not a small decision," Hache said. "The right and privilege to vote and the choice to vote, they are not the same. What empowers voters more is whether they choose to exercise it or not."

For One Village One Vote, pushing for consolidated elections could solve two issues they believe are problematic: voter turnout and funding.

As a point of reference, the group cites the April 2019 election, in which voters cast ballots on the Ridgewood Public School budget.

Of the 18,262 registered voters, only 2,437 turned out for that election, or 14 percent of the electorate. The election, the group says, cost taxpayers $50,000.

"At best, this election was inefficient and at worst a thoughtless waste of Village resources and taxpayer money," they said.