Proposed New Jersey bill could move school elections to November

December 20, 2011

TRENTON, New Jersey: A proposed bill in the New Jersey Legislature seeks to allow schools to move their budget and school elections to the November ballot. Traditionally school votes are held in April but have long been criticized for their low voter turnouts and high costs to run. Previous attempts to move these elections to November have all failed, but with this bill there may be renewed hope. This bill, unlike the previous attempts, would give the schools the choice to move the elections to November, it would not be mandatory. Opponents though note that this could cause more confusion for residents if different schools in the same area choose to have their votes at all different times throughout the year. But the New Jersey Education Association and the Teachers Union have given their support behind this bill, where as they had been against the previous attempts. Governor Chris Christie is now reviewing the bill.