To the editor:
Hopefully, most Hillsborough residents know that the New Jersey primary is Tuesday, June 7th and are planning to vote that day. Although there is a sense that the nominations for the two major parties have already been settled, it is important for New Jersey’s voice to be heard in the democratic process as we move closer to the general election.
But this message seems largely unnecessary, as voter turnout in Hillsborough is generally quite high for presidential elections. In the 2012 presidential election, voter turnout was 68.9%. In 2008, it was 79.9%, and in 2004, it was 82.4%.
In all three of these elections, Hillsborough turnout was slightly above the average for Somerset County, and significantly higher than the national rate (national turnout was 54.9% in 2012, 58.2% in 2008, and 56.7% in 2004).
Because of this turnout, the results have largely reflected the distribution of registered voters in Hillsborough. In 2012, President Obama narrowly carried Hillsborough, carrying 49.8% of the vote compared to Mitt Romney’s 48.5%, and in 2008, he edged John McCain here, 49.8%-48.2%. These close results should not be surprising, since the number of registered Democrats in Hillsborough (22.4%) is nearly equal to the number of registered Republicans (22.2%).
Local elections, however, tell a different story. The Township Committee has been dominated by Republicans, who have held all five seats for several elections now.
How can it be that in a town with roughly equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats, Republicans have such a tight stranglehold on local politics?
Local elections are much more nonpartisan than national ones, but that alone does not explain this disparity. Low voter turnout, on the other hand, does explain it. Last fall, I volunteered for Ann Harris’ campaign for Township Committee. Her campaign manager explained that our primary goal was to encourage Democrats to actually vote, as Democratic turnout in local elections is staggeringly low. And when the results were in, Hillsborough voter turnout was an embarrassing 19.7%.
The purpose of this letter is not just to encourage Democrats to vote more. Rather, it is to encourage all Hillsborough residents to vote more. Local elections are important too, and they must be treated as such. It is the civic duty of every American citizen to vote in every election they can, and too many people are ignoring this most fundamental component of our democracy. That has to change.
Vinay Ravinder
Hillsborough
