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New Jersey Public Question 1, Bonds for Public Libraries Measure (2017)
| New Jersey Public Question 1 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 7, 2017 | |
| Topic Bond issues | |
Status Approved | |
| Type Bond issue | Origin State Legislature |
| 2017 measures |
|---|
 |
| November 7, 2017 |
| New Jersey Public Question 2 |
| New Jersey Public Question 1 |
New Jersey Public Question 1, the Bonds for Public Libraries Measure, was on the ballot in New Jersey as a legislatively referred bond question on November 7, 2017. It was approved.[1]
| A "yes" vote supported authorizing the state to issue $125 million in bonds to provide grants to public libraries. |
| A "no" vote opposed authorizing the state to issue $125 million in bonds to provide grants to public libraries. |
The state librarian, with approval of the president of Thomas Edison State University, was given the task of developing the eligibility criteria for libraries to receive grants. Grants were set to cover 50 percent of the cost of projects. The other 50 percent was set to be provided by a library's local government. The bond question was designed to allow donors to contribute toward the 50 percent provided by a local government.[1]
Election results
| Public Question 1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 970,334 | 60.03% | ||
| No | 646,110 | 39.97% | ||
- Election results from New Jersey Department of State
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title was:[1]
| “ | Do you approve the “New Jersey Library Construction Bond Act”? This bond act authorizes the State to issue bonds in the aggregate principal amount of $125 million. The proceeds of the bonds will be used to provide grants to public libraries. The grants will be used to build, equip, and expand public libraries to increase capacity and serve the public.[2] | ” |
Ballot summary
The interpretive statement was:[1]
| “ | Approval of this bond act will allow the State to sell $125 million in State general obligation bonds. Proceeds from the bonds will be used to provide grants to construct, expand, and equip public libraries. Municipalities or counties that fund public libraries will match the grant amount. The municipality or county may solicit private funding to support its match. The State Librarian, in consultation with the President of Thomas Edison State University, will set eligibility criteria for the grants.[2] | ” |
Readability score
- See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2017
| Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title and summary for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The New Jersey State Legislature wrote the ballot language for this measure.
|
Support
Supporters
Officials
The following legislators sponsored the bond measure in the New Jersey State Legislature:[3]
- Rep. Amy Handlin (R-13)
- Rep. Andrew Zwicker (D-16)
- Rep. Angela McKnight (D-31)
- Rep. Angelica Jimenez (D-32)
- Rep. Annette Chaparro (D-33)
- Rep. Annette Quijano (D-20)
- Rep. Blonnie Watson (D-29)
- Rep. Cleopatra Tucker (D-28)
- Rep. Craig Coughlin (D-19)
- Rep. Daniel Benson (D-14)
- Rep. Elizabeth Maher Muoio (D-15)
- Rep. Gabriela Mosquera (D-4)
- Rep. Gary Schaer (D-36)
- Rep. Gerald Green (D-22)
- Rep. Gordon Johnson (D-37)
- Rep. Holly Schepisi (R-39)
- Rep. Jack Ciattarelli (R-16)
- Rep. Jamel Holley (D-20)
- Rep. James J. Kennedy (D-22)
- Rep. John Burzichelli (D-3)
- Rep. John McKeon (D-27)
- Rep. John Wisniewski (D-19)
- Rep. Jon Bramnick (R-21)
- Rep. Joseph Danielsen (D-17)
- Rep. Marlene Caride (D-36)
- Rep. Mila Jasey (D-27)
- Rep. Nancy Munoz (R-21)
- Rep. Nicholas Chiaravalloti (D-31)
- Rep. Pamela Lampitt (D-6)
- Rep. Patricia Egan Jones (D-5)
- Rep. Ralph Caputo (D-28)
- Rep. Robert Karabinchak (D-18)
- Rep. Ronald Dancer (R-12)
- Rep. Shavonda Sumter (D-35)
- Rep. Sheila Oliver (D-34)
- Rep. Thomas Giblin (D-34)
- Rep. Timothy Eustace (D-38)
- Rep. Troy Singleton (D-7)
- Rep. Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-37)
- Rep. Wayne DeAngelo (D-14)
Organizations
- New Jersey Library Association[4]
Arguments
- Mayor Albert B. Kelly (D) of Bridgeton, New Jersey, stated:[5]
| “ | In 2017, it is easy to think of libraries as dinosaurs; relics from another era largely irrelevant in today's internet-driven, Amazon-loving, smartphone-using, ride-sharing world. But libraries were always part of democratizing knowledge and education, just as public schools are.
Today, there is digital inequality and the local library is part of leveling the playing field. Libraries are community anchors while also connecting each community to the world at large.[2] |
” |
Opposition
Arguments
Rep. Jay Webber (R-26) and Rep. Michael Carroll (R-25), both of whom voted against referring the measure, said the bond measure would "hurt generations of citizens by spending and borrowing recklessly on this misguided idea." The two legislators also stated:[6]
| “ | Consequently, our public libraries are among the best funded in the nation, with New Jersey ranking in the top five states in per capita expenditures for libraries. New Jersey’s per capita library expenditures about double those of our neighboring states Pennsylvania and Delaware. Further, this bill’s call for $120 million in borrowing for library capital projects comes even as a Pew Research Center survey from September 2015 shows that fewer Americans are visiting libraries in this advancing digital age. Such a trend raises real questions about whether a new capital program for libraries is warranted.
Despite that substantial existing funding of our public libraries and the mountain of debt our taxpayers already face, this bill calls for even more spending and borrowing for New Jersey’s public libraries.[2] |
” |
Campaign finance
| Total campaign contributions: | |
| Support: | $0.00 |
| Opposition: | $0.00 |
No ballot question committees registered to support or oppose the amendment.[7]
Media editorials
- See also: 2017 ballot measure media endorsements
Support
- Asbury Park Press said: "While fewer people in today’s digital world go to libraries to check out books, 43 million visits were made to public libraries in 2015, down only slightly from previous years. Libraries these days have evolved with the times, but one thing remains the same: They function as community centers in many towns, offering lectures, concerts and varied activities for children and adults alike."[8]
Opposition
Ballotpedia has not found any media editorial boards opposing the measure. If you are aware of an editorial board's stance that is not listed above, please email it to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Path to the ballot
- See also: Legislatively-referred state statute
The bond measure was introduced into the New Jersey State Legislature as Assembly Bill 222 (A222) on January 27, 2016. The New Jersey General Assembly passed the measure 63 to 12, with five members not voting, on June 22, 2017. The New Jersey Senate passed the measure 31 to 2, with seven senators not voting, on July 4, 2017. Democrats, along with 22 Republicans, supported the bill. The 14 legislators who voted against referring the measure to the ballot were Republicans.[3] On July 21, 2017, Gov. Chris Christie (R) signed sign the bill, certifying the measure for the ballot.[9]
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State profile
| Demographic data for New Jersey | ||
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 8,935,421 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 7,354 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 68.3% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 13.5% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 9% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.5% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 19% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 88.6% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 36.8% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $72,093 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 12.7% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in New Jersey. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in New Jersey
New Jersey voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, two are located in New Jersey, accounting for 0.97 percent of the total pivot counties.[10]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. New Jersey had one Retained Pivot County and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 0.55 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More New Jersey coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in New Jersey
- United States congressional delegations from New Jersey
- Public policy in New Jersey
- Endorsers in New Jersey
- New Jersey fact checks
- More...
Related measures
- See also: Bond issues on the ballot
| Bond issues measures on the ballot in 2017 | |
|---|---|
| State | Measures |
| Maine | Maine Question 1: Technology Sectors Funds and Business Loans Bond Issue
|
| West Virginia | West Virginia Amendment 1: Bonds for Roads and Bridges Measure
|
| Maine | Maine Question 3: Transportation Bond Issue |
See also
- New Jersey 2017 ballot measures
- 2017 ballot measures
- New Jersey Legislature
- Bond issues on the ballot
External links
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms New Jersey 2017 Library Bond Measure. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 New Jersey Legislature, "A 222," accessed June 26, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 New Jersey Legislature, "A222 Overview," accessed June 26, 2017
- ↑ NJ Libraries Build Communities, "Homepage," accessed July 5, 2017
- ↑ NJ.com, "Support $125 million to boost N.J. libraries," July 3, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Legislature, "Assembly State and Local Government Committee Statement," accessed July 5, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement, "Committees," accessed January 6, 2017
- ↑ Asbury Park Press, "Editorial: Yes to state public questions," October 20, 2017
- ↑ Burlington County Times, "Gov. Christie signs bill raising NJ's smoking age to 21," July 21, 2017
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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