The New Jersey Intiative

Posted on Sun, Oct. 19, 2003

Improving turnout

By Ingrid Reed

On Nov. 4, New Jersey is having an election. Unlike the excitement surrounding the California recall election, which was on the front pages of our state's newspapers and featured on TV news, the reaction to New Jersey's election is more like "Oh, really?" or maybe a "So what?"

Though Californians and New Jerseyans face the same issues - property taxes, slumping economy, and disappearing jobs and confidence in elected officials - New Jerseyans also have the daunting task of picking 120 members of the legislature. And since the governor can't act without the legislature, this election is certainly as important as California's. But voters at polls will probably be as few as usual is in this kind of election, about 30 percent of those registered. In the California recall election, more than 60 percent voted.

What is the explanation for not voting? Obviously, it is a complicated matter. One reason, according to pollsters and political scientists, is voter attitude. Citizens think their vote doesn't make a difference; that candidates are all the same, and therefore nothing will change, so why bother to vote. Another reason is lack of information. Voters have little awareness of the issues, who the candidates are, where and when to go to vote, and how to fit voting into a busy schedule.

New Jersey nonvoters with attitude problems are probably similar to nonvoters in other states, requiring big changes in our elections and our governance. However, when it comes to being information-deprived, New Jerseyans have good cause for being turned off, especially in this election.

Here is why it's not easy being a voter in New Jersey, especially in an off-year election when there is no statewide contest for a governor or U.S. senator to grab public attention:

Voters don't know what to pay attention to. They may know the legislature is organized by districts, but they have trouble knowing what their district is. The 40 districts from which representatives are elected to the Senate and the General Assembly look like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, grouping municipalities with no apparent logic bounded by lines cutting across counties. Unless voters are faithful followers of elections, they won't know the number of their district, and it is not easy to find out.

Media coverage of legislative campaigns is sparse. A recent Eagleton poll showed that just 73 percent of registered voters and 51 percent of nonvoters can identify the current governor of New Jersey. Many people get most of their news from television, where New Jersey news is not particularly prevalent. In legislative races, because the size of a district is considered too large for local weekly papers and too small for coverage by six to 10 large regional newspapers, stories about these campaigns are rare or at least not routine. When they do appear, photos of the candidates are often not included, so readers are less likely to be drawn to the stories and remember what they read.

Campaigns for the legislature tend to be invisible except in about eight of the 40 districts - this year, South Jersey's First, Third and Fourth are among them. The way legislative districts are put together makes it practically certain that a Republican or a Democrat will win most of them. If there is no contest and the incumbent usually wins, the political parties don't organize campaigns with ads and mailers, newspapers don't cover the races, television stations don't invite the candidates to debate, and voters are left in the dark about whom to vote for and where the candidates stand on issues.

New Jerseyans don't get the information they need to keep them informed about elections from our state's election office. An example: The lack of modern advertising to alert citizens to register to vote. This year's deadline of Oct. 6 did not even appear on the first page of New Jersey's Web site, www.nj.gov, with catchy information about where to register. There will be no statewide effort to help voters before the election. Although voters do get sample ballots a week or so before the election from their county election office, those ballots do not provide information about the candidates.

Compare this with California and many other states where voters are sent a well-designed guide two weeks before the election with brief bios of the candidates - 135 in the recall election - and how to contact them. The guide also includes helpful Web sites and phone numbers, some organized by government and others by nonprofit groups.

In New Jersey, certain newspapers traditionally have offered voters' guides that run about 10 days before the election. This year, the Eagleton Institute of Politics has initiated a Web-based resource, www.njvoterinfo.org, that is already available, will be online through Election Day, and is accessible from anywhere in the country. To find a district, punch in your municipality, and the district and candidates appear on the screen. Each legislative candidate was asked to supply biographical information, a photo and a statement on the issues. While not complete yet, the site is adding information every day. It also includes school activities for teachers and students, and a long list of links to other helpful sites.

The Eagleton site won't solve the problems of New Jersey voters, but at least it respects their need to know and gives them one place to go if they want information about this important election. Maybe with better information, a few more will vote; and maybe some of the apathetic will be persuaded that voting can make a difference.