New Jersey residents age 17 and older can register to vote! While 17-year-olds still cannot cast their ballot until they turn 18, they can prepare for future elections.
The state eligibility requirements for voter registration include being a U.S. citizen and having either a driver’s license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number to serve as identification. You can register by filling out a paper registration form and mailing it to the New Jersey Division of Elections, or you can register online. You can find the NJ DOE address, online form, and more information on the registration process by visiting https://www.nj.gov/state/elections.
The Fling spoke with Mr. Mladnick to learn more about his recommendations for prospective voters as the advisor for Student Congress and avid proponent of civic engagement.
Maya: Have you been an active voter in the past elections?
Mr. Mladnick: Yes, I have voted in every election.
Maya: Why do you think it's important for students at HPHS to register to vote?
Mr. Mladnick: I think it's very important for students to use their collective voice to effect public policies, policies that will affect them. The people who make laws in our democracy are accountable to the voters. They can use their voice through their votes…I think it's important for students to feel empowered, and the way they can do that is to vote with people who agree with their policies. It also can give people hope; politics is the one thing you can have control over. You also can communicate with people after they are elected into office. You can write to them and try to influence them.
Maya: Do you have any words of advice for picking a candidate that best fits your interests?
Mr. Mladnick: Research the candidates. All of them have websites that lay out where they stand with issues. I have personally picked up the phone and called candidates to see where they stood on certain topics. I was a big supporter of later school start times because of the research, and not a lot of candidates at the state level were very open to that, so I called and spoke with the representative’s employees.
Maya: Who would you suggest going to if you have questions about registering?
Mr. Mladnick: Talk to Mr. Girvan. You could talk to me as well. Members of the Student Congress are also a good resource. We have done many voter registration drives to try and make it easy for students to register.
With in-school resources and recent Student Congress initiatives, registering to vote has become more and more accessible to Highland Park students. The only question remains, what will you do with this opportunity?