Vote16 Kickoff Town Hall Prepares Newark Youth for Upcoming School Board Election

The Vote16 Kickoff Town Hall was held on Feb. 1 at Bethany Baptist Church in Newark. The event – presented by the City of Newark and Victoria Foundation partner New Jersey Institute for Social Justice (NJISJ), in conjunction with other partners The Gem Project, Clinton Hill Community Action, and Urban League of Essex County – provided information and voter registration for 16- and 17-year-olds, who, for the first time in Newark's history, will be able to vote in the Newark Public Schools' School Board election in April.

There are three seats up for appointment in the race and there are now more than 7,000 youth eligible to vote for their choice after the Newark City Council passed an ordinance to lower the voting age to 16 for school board elections in January 2024. NJISJ and The Gem Project Inc. were instrumental in getting this passed, along with support from Victoria Foundation.

The Vote16 Kickoff Town Hall featured guest speakers, panels, Q&As, voter registration, and a resource fair.

Victoria Foundation Executive Officer Craig Drinkard gave remarks at the event. "To the young people who are here and signing up and going on that day to cast your vote, do it for you," he said. "But also, be brave enough to be like your ancestors and do it for those you never meet – those youth who will have the opportunity to have their voices heard because you stood up and took the reins. At Victoria Foundation, we are committed to being a partner in this because there's nothing more powerful than our young people having the right to vote for their self-determination."

The Vote16 Kickoff Town Hall is the latest event in a series held to prepare youth for voting. In October 2024, NJISJ hosted the New Jersey Vote16 Youth Summit, a "transformative full-day program designed to equip passionate young people across New Jersey with tools and knowledge to advocate for lowering the voting age to 16 in local elections," which was sponsored by Victoria Foundation.

Victoria Foundation proudly supports these initiatives as part of its promoting youth self-determination strategy. Grantees such as The Gem Project and NJISJ have been instrumental in getting youth included and involved in an election that directly affects them, as school boards are responsible for policy adoption, authorizing the district's curriculum, and managing yearly expenses.

"We are so grateful to Victoria Foundation for its longtime support of the Institute's work, including our historic Vote16 campaign," said Ryan Haygood, president and CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. "This support has been critical in bringing us to this exciting moment, where Newark's 16- and 17-year-olds will be able to cast a vote in April's school board elections and have a say in who makes decisions that affect them every day. We couldn't ask for a better partner than Victoria Foundation at a time when democracy needs us most."

For more information about Victoria Foundation and to sign up for news updates, visit victoriafoundation.org.