Dear Editor:
I’m a Hoboken United 2003 candidate for the upcoming City Council race (election date May 13). I’ve been up and down our streets and in and around buildings in my Ward, getting petitions signed. Anyone who hopes to run for public office in Hudson County has to do this. You can sign only one candidate’s petition because there is only one Council rep position in each Ward.
Some people have asked me whether signing a candidate’s petition means that they must vote for that candidate. That is not true. There’s nothing on the petition, aside from the election date, that has to do with voting. You can vote for whomever you wish. That is your right.
Regardless of what you may have heard, the voting booth is completely private. The Board of Elections keeps absentee ballots under the strictest security. Nobody knows how you vote; your privacy is assured. Voting is not only a civic duty, it’s a privilege. In these times, we should remember the people in other parts of the world who don’t have a private vote, may not have a choice of candidates and in fact may not be able to vote at all. Please exercise your privilege on April 15th (School Board elections) and May 13th (City Council elections.)
Shelley Miller
Hoboken taxpayer