The Six Reasons Why You Really Need to Vote Next Tuesday
New Jersey is one week away from electing a new governor and the entire state legislature on November 7th. Don’t even think about sitting this one out! Here’s why.
1. At the state and local level, YOUR VOTES MATTER! In years when only state and local seats are up for grabs, turnout has been terribly low in NJ, ranging from 40% in 2013, 32% in 2014, and an unbelievable 22% in 2015! This means that even a small increase in turnout can have a big impact! For example, state Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker won his seat in 2015 by only 76 votes. I’ve even heard of a race for local office that was tied at 62 votes each (62 votes!), and was decided by a coin toss. Your vote literally could be the difference between defeat and victory in a local- or state-level election. SO MAKE SURE YOU VOTE!
2. New Jersey’s governor gets to appoint the state Attorney General. “So what?”, you say. Not so fast! Attorneys General can bring the Trump administration to court over over its attempts to create travel bans, halt Obamacare subsidies, rescind DACA, and get rid of environmental regulations. Do you want to fight back against travel bans and fight for healthcare, environmental protection, and Dreamers? If your answer is “yes”, then you need to GET TO THE POLLS NEXT TUESDAY AND VOTE! Our next governor will appoint an Attorney General who could join with the 22 other AGs across the country who have been at the forefront of these fights in 2017.
3. There’s a chance that our next governor will get to appoint one of our U.S. Senators! Yes, you heard me right. One of our current senators, Bob Menendez (D) is in the middle of a corruption trial. If convicted, he is likely to be voted out of the Senate sometime next year. If that happens, the person who wins the governorship next Tuesday will get to appoint a replacement. Do you want to have some say about who represents you in the Senate? Do you want a Senator who will fight for progressive values? THEN YOU BETTER VOTE NEXT TUESDAY!
4. Your votes for local races can have a big impact on the issues that progressives care about. For example: If you’re concerned about the environment, you can elect town council members and mayors who support switching over to clean energy sources for municipal buildings. You can vote for local candidates who support stormwater run-off ordinances to protect local waters. IF YOU WANT TOWN COUNCIL MEMBERS LIKE THIS, YOU NEED TO ACTUALLY VOTE FOR THEM!
5. The whole country is watching what New Jersey will do on November 7th. We are one of only two states electing new governors this year (Virginia is the other one). All eyes are on NJ and VA as politicians begin to prepare for the vitally important mid-term elections of 2018. The way we vote next Tuesday will be a referendum on the damaging agenda coming out of DC. Do you care about what is happening in the federal government right now? If so, THEN SEND A CLEAR MESSAGE WITH YOUR VOTE!
6. When you don’t vote, you give power to your opponents. Eric Liu of Citizen University says it best: “There is no such thing as not voting. Not voting is voting — to hand power to others, whose interests may be inimical to your own.” USE YOUR POWER AND VOTE ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH!