| Abby Leibowitz | The Princetonian |
On Monday, Aug. 26, Princeton Town Council passed a local elections reform resolution expressing support for state-level ranked choice voting legislation.
The state-level legislation — whose primary sponsor is State Sen. Andrew Zwicker from Princeton — would allow for the use of ranked choice voting in local and school board elections. Should the state law pass, municipalities will be able to put a referendum on their ballots in November for voters to approve or reject.
Opening the democratic process
The Town Council resolution was largely prompted by Voter Choice New Jersey (VCNJ), a nonprofit committed to achieving ranked choice voting at all levels of governmental elections. The vote makes Princeton the fourth municipality in New Jersey to express support for the legislation, following Hoboken, Jersey City, and Red Bank. VCNJ is focusing on ranked choice voting for local elections as a first step before moving on to additional levels of government.
Veronica Akaezuwa, a member of VCNJ, said the resolution is “important in opening the democratic process in New Jersey.”
