NewarkNAACPNews July2024 Vol.9
EVERY ELECTION IS DETERMINED BY THE PEOPLE WHO VOTE. Let’s Keep the Momentum Going DEBORAH SMITH GREGORY & TRACY MUNFORD
“Every election is determined by the people who show up.” While this quote refers to voters on Election Day, it also represents what happened at the recent 10th Congressional Candidate Forum at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). The Forum was hosted by NJIT with a collaborative host committee of the NAACP branches of the 10th district (Hillside, Jersey City, Montclair, Oranges and Maplewood, Newark, the Urban Leagues of Essex, Hudson and Union Counties, and the National Pan-Hellenic Councils of Central Jersey, Essex and Hudson.) Ten of the 12 candidates vying for the office of Congress attended the public Forum. There were 500 people in attendance to hear from the candidates. Following the tragic passing of U.S. Representative Donald Payne, Jr. in April, voters in New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District, which includes much of Newark and surrounding municipalities in three counties, need a representative to complete his term in the House of Representatives, ending in December 2024.
In This Issue Freedom Fund 2024
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Women of the Cloth
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Saving UH
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The late US Congressman Donald M. Payne Jr.
Currently, the citizens in District 10 have no voice in Congress as crucial legislation lies in the balance of this one vote. A Special Primary Election was held on July 16. Newark Councilwoman LaMonica McIver was the victor and will now be the Democratic nominee on the ballot of the Special General Election on September 18. For the Special General Election, the registration deadline is August 28, the deadline to apply by mail for Vote-by-Mail (VBM) ballot is September 11, the early voting period is September 8 – 14, deadline to apply in person for VBM ballot is September 17 and the deadline to mail the ballot is September 18. Ballots must be received by the county board of election by September 24. For the next congressional term beginning in January 2025, the Democratic committee leaders from the district will hold a special convention to select a new nominee for the general election in November. The winner of the Democratic special primary election may not necessarily be the same person selected by the Democratic committee to appear on the ballot in November.
In hosting the Congressional Forum, the collective goal was to raise the level of citizen engagement and ultimately increase the number of voters who go to the polls. The interest in the forum showed that people do care about their representation. Although they may not have the final say in who gets on the ballot in November, the turnout showed that people are watching, listening and elected officials should be paying attention too. An informed voter is a powerful voter Voter apathy has increased since the historic turnout out of the Obama era. However, given the turn of events during the Trump era, the attempted overthrow of the US government on Jan. 6, 2023, and the subsequent indictments and convictions of a former president now running again for office, voter turnout must increase in the elections for all levels government representation. This local election that has national implications is as critical as the upcoming Presidential Election in November where for the first time in the history of this country, Kamala Harris, a woman who is both Black and Asian will run for the Presidency as the Democratic nominee. We must vote in every election! The opening quote is not just words, it’s a call to action to reinvigorate the voting electorate to vote in every race, every time. We must vote like our lives depend on it because it does.