District’s 15+ Voter Registration Drive To Launch On Monday

NEWARK, N.J. – Superintendent León officially announced today that the District’s 15+ Voter Registration Drive will begin on Monday, targeting the thousands of Newark Public Schools students eligible to vote in the April 15th Board of Education election.

Last year, the City of Newark passed an ordinance that allows 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in the election as long as they are registered by March 25th. The 15 + Voter Registration Drive will provide students with voter registration opportunities during lunch periods at each of the District’s high schools from Monday, February 3rd through Thursday, March 20th. The intended goal is to provide the opportunity before the deadline.

“Each high school will have voter registration forms and directions on how to register online with assistance available for students,” Superintendent León said in his remarks today. “Any student who registers now will not have to register again to vote in future elections.”

“Empowering our students to participate in the democratic process is a vital step in preparing them to be engaged citizens," said Board of Education President Hasani K. Council. “Our district is committed to ensuring that every eligible student has the opportunity to register and make their voices heard.”

The upcoming voter registration drive is a modification of the Voter 17 Registration Drives Superintendent León has held for most of the years since his appointment. Those drives targeted 17-year-old students who would be of voting age by the November election in years past.

Superintendent León is scheduled to participate in a public Town Hall meeting on the new voter eligibility requirements hosted by The City of Newark and the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice tomorrow at 10 a.m. at the Bethany Baptist Church, 275 West Market Street, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.