Why Montclair Voters Should Choose an Elected Board of Education on November 2nd
With mail-in ballots for the 2021 general election having begun to arrive in Montclair mailboxes, local voters are already casting their choices for governor and state legislators, and also deciding whether they, rather than the Township’s mayor, should select members of our local board of education. We believe the choice is clear (click for more)
Our Initiatives
Elected BOE
Montclair is one of the few remaining New Jersey municipalities where mayors choose BOE members. We are on the way to changing that in 2021.
Municipal Election Reform
We’re working to move our Township’s next municipal elections from May to November, to raise voter turnout, which is a fraction of that in most American towns.
Voter Engagement
In addition to these and other special initiatives Vote Montclair will be working year-round to increase voter engagement and election integrity.
Recent News
- Township voids Vote Montclair election date change referendum effortOn Friday we received a letter via email from Township Attorney Ira Karasick that Township Clerk Angelese Bermúdez-Nieves must reject Vote Montclair’s petition for a referendum on moving our quadrennial municipal elections from May to November. In his letter KarasickContinue reading “Township voids Vote Montclair election date change referendum effort”
- The Hard Data on Ending Soft Voter Suppression in MontclairWhen New Jersey state law was changed a decade ago to allow for nonpartisan local elections to be held alongside partisan statewide and national elections, the Montclair Township Council considered and then rejected a proposal to move our local electionsContinue reading “The Hard Data on Ending Soft Voter Suppression in Montclair”
- Vote Montclair launches referendum petition for municipal election date changeA month after the successful conclusion of its effort to put schoolboard democracy on this November’s ballot, Vote Montclair has launched a petition initiative aimed at moving the Township’s quadrennial municipal elections from May to November, to increase voter turnoutContinue reading “Vote Montclair launches referendum petition for municipal election date change”
What Montclarions Are Saying
“As a long-term resident and a local public education advocate, I am very encouraged by these initiatives. It is time for Montclair and its residents to stop sitting on the laurels of the past, and be a progressive leader of the future. These initiatives can help us get there.” — Selma Avdicevic
“I’m a Montclair resident who previously lived in South Orange, where every year voters get their say on who sits on the BOE. Montclair may have a lot going for it, but on voter participation in education for now South Orange and Maplewood clearly have the edge.” — Richard Eigen
Interested in adding your voice to the debate?
Vote Montclair by the Numbers
24%
average turnout in last three municipal elections
3%
percentage of N.J. municipalities where mayors rather than voters choose school boards
3%
percentage of N.J. towns and cities with “off-cycle” municipal elections in May
$0
raised by Vote Montclair from outside interests