Auto-voter registration helps expand democracy
Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law a bill making voter registration automatic for New Jersey residents who interact with the Division of Motor Vehicles.
Murphy enacted legislation previously vetoed by former Gov. Chris Christie. The measure also stands in direct contrast to President Donald Trump who created a voting fraud commission after winning the 2016 election. Murphy mentioned Trump after signing the bill into action.
“We stand in stark contrast to President Trump and others, whose only interest lays in restricting voting rights and suppressing voters’ voices .... New Jersey will not go backwards,” Murphy promised.
Murphy added, “This is a critical part of our effort to create a stronger and fairer New Jersey. We are stronger when every New Jerseyan has a say in the future of their community and state. And we are fairer when we break down barriers that have kept some from being able to use their voice.”
The governor added that “there should be no barriers to registering to vote” and that the registration process “should be simple and seamless,” as New Jersey joined 11 other states and the District of Columbia that enact automatic voter registration.
Murphy’s comments regarding expanding voting numbers and inclusion should connect with City of Trenton community leaders, politicians and others as a May 8 municipal election nears.
Debates and forums have been held for the past several weeks however those discussions with mayoral candidates have occurred in customary sites such as churches, community centers and schools. And most play out in what could be noted as “safer” areas of the city.
A Citizens Campaign brochure notes “the dysfunctional politics and government we see on our televisions and smart phones everyday didn’t occur overnight. We’re reaping the consequences of failing to teach the skills needed for constructive citizenship and failing to provide opportunities to put those skills to work in service to our country.”
Those accrued consequences include a political and governmental inability to extend conversations about civics into disenfranchised areas of the city. Arrangements for political debates and forums rarely deliver destinations in challenged places such as Donnelly Homes, Walnut Ave., Passaic St., Stuyvesant Ave. or Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. etc.
These areas scream for attention and inclusion for discussions about moving Trenton forward, yet, for decades. government rarely delivers infiltration efforts that could reduce crime, afford opportunity and give voice to residents trapped in these badlands.
Mayoral candidates discuss development of the city’s downtown area but conversations only occasionally discuss initiatives that can lift up those residents, families and communities that remain entrenched by poverty and blight. These discounts connect to chronic problems that last through generations of residents who develop an apathy toward government and politics.
Harry Pozycki of Citizens Campaign wrote, “We are witnessing a dangerous decline in our country’s values of public service and civility. At the Citizens Campaign we believe that optimism is a political act, and so in the midst of this depressing situation, we are working to build the foundational supports needed to shore up our democracy.”
No better way exists to shore up our democracy than to expand the circumference of inclusion, opportunity and dispensation of information to those Trenton communities that list in dire straits.
We can shore up our democracy when residents living within blocks of a $155 million Trenton Central High School redevelopment project have access to those jobs.
We can shore up our democracy and city when trade unions allow minorities and women opportunities to earn a piece of the rock or pie. We can shore up our democracy when residents from Trenton’s most impoverished communities gain a seat at the table and have a voice in discussions.
Gov. Murphy has cultivated another progressive agenda item with the U.S. Department of Treasury approval for his Opportunity Zone Program initiative.
“I’m pleased the Treasury Department has accepted all 169 sites I proposed last month for designation as Opportunity Zones,” Murphy said last week.
“Now, these cities and towns will have additional means to generate economic growth throughout their respective communities and, more importantly, create economic opportunities for their residents.”
Despite all the naysayers, complainers, finger pointers and blamers, Trenton still has a shot for revitalization provided that government initiatives engage all citizens.