HOBOKEN – The Hoboken city clerk has certified over 1,800 petition signatures from Hoboken residents for two ballot questions designed to consolidate Hoboken’s municipal elections, according to a release from Vijay Chaudhuri, a leader in the movement to put the election change to a vote.
The ballot questions were proposed by the citizens’ committee Vote Yes for November, a group of residents who say they want to reform the electoral system in Hoboken. If both initiatives are passed by the voters this November, Hoboken’s next municipal elections will be held in November of 2013 instead of this coming May, and the candidates receiving the most votes will be elected to office rather than facing run-off elections.
“Thanks to the outpouring of support from 1,800 residents who signed our petitions, Hoboken residents will get an opportunity to be heard on whether they seek to bring election reform to our city. We are confident that Hoboken’s voters will support these initiatives that will consolidate multiple elections, increase voter turnout, save taxpayers money, and reduce voter fatigue,” said Chaudhuri.
“If the two ballot initiatives are passed by voters in November, no longer will Hoboken voters have to suffer through an election year like 2009, when Hoboken voters had to vote in five separate elections in a single year. Municipal elections would now be held on a single date in November – the date when voters turn out for the general election,” said Sasha Conroy, another member of the Vote Yes November citizens’ committee.
If voters choose to move the Hoboken Municipal elections to November, all future local elections will be held during November general election dates. That means that next year, Mayor Dawn Zimmer and her three council-at-large members would stay in office until next November instead of next May, giving them an extra six months in office until the next election.
Hoboken’s school board elections have already been consolidated with the upcoming November general election instead of in April as in years past.
Members of the public who support this proposal are encouraged to voice their opinions at the Hoboken City Council meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. in City Hall.