Since last summer, Hoboken voters have gone to the polls four times – for a special council election, a regular council election, a school board election, and a state legislative primary.
The constant cycle of elections may soon slow down.
An ordinance up for a public hearing and a final vote on July 20 could move Hoboken’s council and mayoral elections from May to November, although it won’t affect the April school board races or any statewide or national elections. The idea is to shift citywide races, which are held in some form every two years, to the same date as national and gubernatorial elections so more people will vote.
“The vast majority of New Jersey residents are used to having elections in the fall.” – Ravinder Bhalla
____________
However, some of the council members see problems with the potential change.
Low turnout
State law allows non-partisan municipal elections to be moved from May to November by a simple vote of the council. Hoboken’s town elections are not divided by Republicans and Democrats, but by various political factions.
Only 22 percent of the city’s approximately 36,000 registered voters turned out on May 10 for the elections for six council seats. Hoboken’s total population, according to the 2010 Census, is an estimated 50,005.
The April school board election drew only approximately 3,400 voters.
The school board elections are run every year for three of the nine seats. The six ward council seats are up for election every four years, and the mayor and three council-at-large seats are also up every four years, but in different years than the ward seats.
In Hoboken, there is a population that uses the city essentially as a bedroom community. Many professionals work in New York City, rarely becoming involved in the local political scene. Moving the elections to November would get more of them to vote, according to proponents of the legislation.
Observers say this would benefit Zimmer’s allies, who appeal to new residents, thus a possible reason for the move.
The original idea behind holding non-partisan municipal elections in May is to localize politics, ensuring that a candidate can’t ride the coattails of a national or state level politician by appearing in their column on the ballot. If the legislation were to pass, the candidates for a non-partisan election would appear on the same ballot but separated from the partisan candidates for higher office, according to Bhalla.
Bhalla said the move would serve as a cost effective measure as well.
In 2009, the city spent approximately $160,000 for the May and June mayoral and council elections. Hoboken pays approximately $200 for each poll worker every Election Day.
“The vast majority of New Jersey residents are used to having elections in the fall,” Bhalla said. “With Hoboken being a town that is relatively transient, there are people who live here and don’t know we have elections in May. The impact is anti-democratic, because voters and residents are disenfranchised; they don’t know elections are happening in the spring.”
Council members sound off
The ordinance hasn’t been met with open arms by the entire council, as it barely passed during its introduction by a 5-4 margin. The four members on the council who are generally opposed to Zimmer voted against the ordinance, while five of her allies voted yes.
Councilwoman Beth Mason voted no because she said that for “such a major issue,” there hasn’t been a large community discussion.
Mason believes the November elections would lead to increased incumbency, and she believes the move would establish machine politics, with machine-backed candidates running alongside popular national figures. She also added that if a run-off election were to occur, voters would be asked to come out to the polls around Christmas time.
In Hoboken, if a candidate doesn’t garner 50 percent of the vote, the top two finishers enter a runoff. The process of eliminating runoff elections could also eventually be addressed by the city, but it would need to be completed by way of a referendum.
“In December, it’s unfair to our seniors to have elections; it gets dark at 5 p.m.,” Mason said. “In a runoff you won’t have the people come out. It’s going to have the opposite effect of what they’re trying to accomplish.”
Councilwoman Theresa Castellano has served on the council for 16 years, and she said the issue has been raised in the past, but the elections were never moved.
“I think saner heads prevailed,” she said.
“You would have runoffs near Thanksgiving and the Christmas season,” Castellano added. “I think people go away. I don’t think it will increase turnout; it’s going to confuse people tremendously.”
Councilman Tim Occhipinti also voted against the measure, and said he believes the council elections should be separate from presidential and gubernatorial races.
“You want to make sure the voters are listening to what you have to offer, but there’s so much more noise in November,” Occhipinti said.
Occhipinti also said Zimmer’s allies may believe a higher turnout could result in more votes for their side.
“We’re elected by the people,” he said. “If the residents want to see the election moved to November, then put it on the ballot [as a referendum].”
Dr. Jonathan Wharton is an assistant professor of political science and pre-law advisor at Stevens Institute of Technology. He said he believes moving the elections to November would increase voter turnout.
“I spoke about this at the library last year and one of the suggestions I offered was to have Hoboken, and other municipalities, seriously consider moving the election to November because one of the key concerns, in a city of 50,000, is that you may get only 10 to 12 thousand voters,” Wharton said. “There are more registered voters than that…one of the serious concerns is that you’re not going to get people to follow issues in spring time; they might not even know there is an election in May.”
Wharton said he tries to increase participation for Stevens students in local elections. Many of the students reside in the 5th and 6th wards, and in May there are final exams, keeping students focused on their school work. By the June runoffs, students have left town for the summer.
“This change is one step toward one kind of reform effort to resolve some of the shortcomings of the Faulkner Act,” Wharton said. The city is governed under the state’s Faulkner Act, which sets up various types of town governments in New Jersey. It calls for non-partisan elections in May.
Longer term for Zimmer and council
If the ordinance is changed this year, then all 10 of the city’s major elected officials (nine council members and the mayor) would be extending their terms until November of their election year, instead of May. This would give them a one-time extension of their terms by six months.
Bhalla’s allies control the council, so he does have enough votes to pass the ordinance.
The public has a chance to sound off on the issue at the July 20 meeting. If the ordinance passes with five or more votes, the law can be signed into effect by Zimmer 20 days later, pending any referendum.
Bill Dressel, the Executive Director of the New Jersey League of Municipalities, said the legislation allows for candidates to extend their terms when they pass the legislation. Dressel added that other communities have moved the elections to November as it often serves as a cost-saving measure.
Then Zimmer and three council-at-large candidates will be up for election in November of 2013, instead of the previous May. The six recently elected ward council candidates will be up for a vote in November of 2015 instead of May of that year.
Ray Smith may be reached at RSmith@hudsonreporter.com