To the Editor:
We at Represent.Us of New Jersey agree with Princeton High School student Ash Nieman and the recent letter in Town Topics [“Old Enough to Work, Old Enough to Drive, Old Enough to Vote,” Mailbox, July 30]; 16- (and 17-) year-olds deserve to have a voice in their education and a vote in their School Board elections.
In May 2025, I published a call to the governor to enact this change, beginning with the test case in Newark but making it statewide. The bill to do this is called the Municipal and School Board Voting Options Act (S1622/A4042). With a few simple tweaks, it could make explicit the opportunity for teenage voters to participate in school board elections. You can read my plan at njspotlightnews.org/2025/05/op-ed-the-real-way-to-increase-teenage-voting-in-newark-and-elsewhere-too.
Eight towns, including Princeton, have approved resolutions or ordinances calling on the Legislature to advance this bill for the governor to sign. But so far, it’s languishing in committee with no hearings set.
Not all is lost. We have a competitive election for governor coming up in November. Support for this logical reform of teenage voting can be one more test. Students, like Ash Nieman, and others at Princeton High School and elsewhere can demand that the Legislative committees act. Represent.Us of New Jersey and other reform groups are prepared to back them up.
Let’s turn Ash Nieman’s thoughtful letter into action!