NJ Leaders Highlight Stakes And Voter Impact Of 2025 Governor’s Race

As New Jersey continues to experience low voter turnout in elections, experts and activists stressed the importance of the public’s votes in shaping the Garden State’s future in the upcoming gubernatorial election.

In the 2024 presidential election, about 4.3 million out of 6.6 million registered voters cast ballots in New Jersey. The voter turnout has been even lower for state elections. Only 40% of registered voters cast ballots in the 2021 gubernatorial election, one of the lowest turnouts for a governor’s race in New Jersey in a century. 

That persistent decline framed a virtual conversation hosted by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center on Monday night, where panelists highlighted the need for informed and engaged participation in U.S. elections.

Moderated by attorney Ma’isha Aziz, this panel featured insights from Danielle Combs, executive director of the NAACP New Jersey State Conference; Nathan A. Duguid, a Rutgers student in Newark and founder of the Young Voters Association; Angela Garretson, Hillside Township’s 2nd Ward Council Member; and Henal Patel, law and policy director at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice.

“Informed citizenship is not a privilege,” said Aziz. “It is a responsibility. And for communities that have been historically disenfranchised, it is a form of resistance, resilience, and renewal.” 

Staying Informed

As the speakers discussed the importance of voting, they also emphasized the significance of staying informed about the critical issues at stake in elections. 

Specifically, Patel also cited the Trump administration’s threats to dismantle the Department of Education, environmental protections, and fundamental rights of free speech and due process. She encouraged people to hold elected officials accountable to speak out with their vote.

In the spirit of informing citizens, the speakers outlined voters’ eligibility requirements in New Jersey, including for those who have been arrested, imprisoned, charged with felonies or misdemeanors, or on parole or probation. They also argued that citizens can’t be informed without being registered, as New Jersey has seen a sharp drop in registered voters.

The New Jersey Globe reported that over 224,000 inactive voters lost their status as registered voters in the Garden State in February. As a result, New Jersey currently has about 843,000 more Democratic voters than Republicans, reducing the former party’s previous one-million-vote lead by 17%.

As Americans have lost faith in their vote, states have seen numerous efforts to suppress voters, from enforcing stricter voter ID laws to removing early voting times to weakening the Voting Rights Act in 2013. In the face of this voter suppression, the panelists argued that a person’s vote has shown its actual value in its ability to create change.

Voter Apathy and Disillusionment

The panelists acknowledged that distrust and disillusionment drive voter apathy. Patel acknowledged how some people who voted in the past felt that they hadn’t been seen or heard on issues important to them, making them believe that their votes don’t matter. 

This has been a widespread belief among younger Americans. In a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, younger adults (particularly ages 18-29) were less likely to view voting as important than older Americans.

“It’s completely understandable, and it’s on us to explain why it is still important. Because the folks who don’t want us to vote are trying their hardest to suppress the vote. All of our rights are being chipped away, and they wouldn’t do it if our vote wasn’t important,” Patel said.

With voter registration in New Jersey closing on October 14, panelists said residents still have time to make their voices heard—and help others do the same.

“I feel that sometimes we have a belief that in democracy, we should get everyone else as informed as we are…,” said Patel. “I think it’s not so much about bringing everyone to our knowledge level. It’s about bringing democracy to where people are, where most people are, and you can do that.”