NEWARK, NJ — Tomorrow, Newark will hold its school board election, marking a historic milestone as the first city in New Jersey to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to cast ballots.
The election, set for April 15, 2025, follows a unanimous January 2024 city council decision to lower the voting age for school board races, a move celebrated by advocates as a bold step toward empowering youth and strengthening democracy.
The ordinance, championed by then-City Council President LaMonica McIver and supported by Mayor Ras J. Baraka, aims to give Newark’s roughly 7,000 eligible teens a voice in shaping the policies of the state’s largest school district, which serves approximately 40,000 students across 64 schools.
“This is history,” Mayor Baraka declared at a voter registration event last month. “You’re going to change the landscape of our city and the state of New Jersey.”
The push to lower the voting age began in 2020, led by Newark teens Yenjay Hu and Anjali Krishnamurti, who founded Vote16NJ to advocate for expanded voting rights.
Partnering with the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, they argued that young people deserve a say in decisions directly affecting their education, from curriculum changes to budget approvals. “It’s surreal,” said Krishnamurti, now a Harvard student, reflecting on the upcoming election. “This is just the start of a really long movement of young people advocating for their own rights.”
Approximately 1,772 teens—about 25% of those eligible—registered to vote by the March 25 deadline, according to Essex County officials.
Efforts to engage young voters have been robust.
Governor Phil Murphy and Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way joined a voter registration drive at the Newark School of Data Science and Information Technology in March, alongside rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and local leaders.
The district launched a “Vote 15+” campaign, with León visiting high schools to discuss civic engagement. A new middle school civics curriculum is also in the works to prepare future voters.
Not everyone is on board. Some critics, including voices on social media, have called the policy unconstitutional, though New Jersey’s constitution allows municipalities to set local voting rules
As Newark teens prepare to make history, the nation watches. Similar measures exist in cities like Oakland, California, and Brattleboro, Vermont, but Newark’s scale—New Jersey’s largest city—sets a new precedent.
Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on April 15, with voters able to cast ballots in person or by mail. For Newark’s youth, it’s a chance to shape their schools and signal a new era of civic power.