BY WALTER ELLIOTT
NEWARK – Essex County election officials and local Democratic Party leaders are seeking answers to the Nov. 8 General Election results turnout figures before them.
The turnout results, last updated by County Clerk Chris Durkin Nov. 22 and since certified, had only 16.45 percent of participating registered voters sending Vote By Mail Ballots or pressing voting machine buttons before the 8 p.m. Nov. 8 deadline.
Newark’s turnout is the lowest among the “Local Talk” territory’s 12 towns. The range runs from Irvington’s 21.20 percent to Glen Ridge’s 53.17 percent ending that Tuesday night.
That range compares to a 31.74 percent turnout from among all 22 Essex County municipalities and with all 565 polling station districts reporting. 180,872 of a countywide pool of 567,688 registered voters had fulfilled their civic duty.
The 31.74 county percentage would place it between Bloomfield’s sixth ranking of 34.16 and West Orange’s seventh ranking of 40.43.
That 31.74 percent is a decline from a countywide 50.84 percent in the 2018 General Election but a higher figure than 2014’s 29.53 percent.
The Nov. 8, 2022 average turnout among the 12 “Local Talk” towns is 33.17 percent – a figure that would rank it between Belleville’s fifth ranking (26.15) and Bloomfield.
The rankings, from least participation to most, are:
- Newark – 16.45 percent
- Irvington – 21.20
- East Orange – 23.27
- Orange – 23.40
- Belleville – 26.15
- Bloomfield – 34.16
- West Orange – 40.43
- South Orange – 41.80
- Nutley – 41.65
- Montclair – 49.71
- Maplewood – 49.92
- Glen Ridge – 53.17
Some observers are asking themselves why the top or least four turnout percentages are from the four municipalities that have the highest percentage of “minority-majority” populations. Newark, Irvington, East Orange and Orange have the highest percentages of African American and Latin people by overall population as per the 2020 U.S. Census.
There are some other observers who may say that the relatively low turnout may be among the “safest” Democratic Party municipalities in New Jersey.
The 11th Congressional District, for example, had been recently called “the bluest of N.J.’s blue districts. It was redrawn, based on the 2020 Census findings, to add Newark’s East Ward from the Eighth CD but lost South Orange and Maplewood and part of Montclair to the 11th district. The district now has the bulk of Newark, Irvington, East Orange, Orange, Montclair’s Fourth Ward, three “West Essex” towns and eight Union County towns whole or in part.
Participating Essex County voters returned incumbent Cong. Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-Newark) by an eight-to-one ratio over the challenging David H. Pinckney (Republican-Irvington.)
“Local Talk” voters – depending on where they were on the Eighth, 10 and 11th CD maps, had House of Representative candidates to choose.
In the Eighth CD, Robert “Bob” Menendez, Jr. (D-Englewood) was elected to succeed the retiring Albio Sires (D-W. New York) by three-to-one over Marcus Arroyo (R-W. New York.) The “New Eighth” has Newark’s East and North Wards, Union County’s Elizabeth and 10 Hudson County towns whole or in part.
In the 11th CD, Essex County voters re-elected Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) over challenger Paul DeGroot (R-Montville? by a three-to-one ratio. The “New 11th” includes South Orange, Maplewood and the rest of Montclair plus seven “West Essex,” four “Southwestern Passaic County” and 25 Morris County towns whole or in part.
Incumbent Joseph DiVincenzo (D-Roseland) was returned as Essex County Executive over challenger Adam Kraemer (R-West Orange) by four-to-one. It was Nov. 8’s only countywide contest on the ballot.
Another turnout theory being floated among the sole State Senate, municipal and board of education has to do with voters being attracted to candidates and races “closer to home.”
The special State Senate 28th Legislative District Election, set on the ballot among five “Local Talk” towns whole or in part, determined who would succeed the retiring Ronald C. Rice (D-Newark).
A majority of participating 28th LD voters chose incumbent appointee Renee C. Burgess (D-Irvington) over challenger Joy B. Freeman (R-Newark) by just over three-to-one. That election was the last for the “Old 28th:” Irvington, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Nutley and parts of Newark’s West, North and South wards.
Fourth-ranked Orange, fifth-ranked Belleville, eighth-ranked South Orange, ninth- ranked Nutley and 10th-ranked Montclair only had board of education races on their municipal level.
Montclair was holding its first-ever election for three full-term BOE seats and a school construction bond issue public question. The township is undergoing a three-year transition from a mayor-appointed to a voter-elected public school board.
Sixth-ranked Bloomfield, seventh-ranked West Orange,11th-ranked Maplewood and 12th-ranked (or highest-percentages) Glen Ridge held municipal and board of education contests.
An advisor to Mayor Ras Baraka had responded with an editorial posted to the NewJerseyGlobe.com website on Nov. 23. Lawrence Hamm, better known as leader of the People’s Organization for Progress, called out what he sees as “cherry picking” by comparing Newark’s 16.45 percent turnout to South Orange’s 41.80 and Maplewood’s 49.42.
“Critics…conveniently glossed over the fact that there was little to no competition,” said Hamm on Baraka’s behalf. “It’s fair to assume that Newarkers simply didn’t feel the anxiety of a potential shift in leadership looming over their heads like so many others within the state and across the country.”
Hamm, in his six-paragraph opinion piece, recalled 2021’s narrow re-election of Gov. Phil Murphy (D-Rumson) in pointing out two factors in keeping New Jersey voters consistently engaged. One factor is that New Jersey, unlike most other states, hold annual elections. The other factor is that “Murphy was able to remain as the state’s top executive because of black and brown voters – notably those that came out of the Newark area.”
Hamm also cited a trend of “a growing generation of young voters who care less about party allegiance and care more about issues.
“This ‘insider strategy’ to find fault with the core group of voters that every statewide candidate will clamor for would be laughable if it wasn’t so damn disrespectful,” concluded Hamm.
