Category Archives: Facts

This November Ridgewood will vote on whether to consolidate its elections.

One Village One Vote’s goal is to expand democracy in Ridgewood by increasing the number of people who vote in municipal and school elections. Nationally, participation in local elections drastically increases when they are held in November versus at other times. In addition, the people who vote in November are more representative of the community as a whole than are far smaller numbers of people who vote in off-cycle elections.

In Ridgewood, a small group of people has fought to keep the consolidation question off the November ballot to prevent us from voting on this issue. Why? Because they want to hold and maintain power in our Village.

FACT 7: Off-cycle elections in April and May favor incumbents and special interest groups

When local elections are moved to November, local participation is 49% higher. Election results are more balanced, reflecting the input of the whole community. Incumbents and special interests are less likely to win.

It makes sense–in April and May, when fewer people vote, small changes in turnout have an outsized effect on election results. This means that a small group of voters can mobilize and disproportionately affect election results and our Village’s future.

Nationally, only 27% of registered voters participate in municipal elections. In Ridgewood, the numbers are similar. In the last few local elections, less than 30% of voters determined who was chosen for Village Council and school board and decided whether the school budget would pass.

According to Prof. Zoltan L. Hajnal, Professor and Associate Dean at the University of California San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy: “If you care about local elections, this is the single most important reform…. Nothing else comes close to… expanding democracy the way that on-cycle elections do.“

We agree with Professor Hajnal. Maximizing voter turnout and minimizing the incumbent and special interest advantage will level the playing field and make our local democracy stronger.

*** Now you can make it happen. Your 2020 General Election ballot will be arriving in the mail very soon. Make sure you follow the directions carefully to ensure your vote gets counted. Fill it out right away, and make sure to VOTE YES on the Municipal Question to move our local elections to November. ***

One Village, One Vote!

Bob Fuhrman
Matthew Lindenberg
Stacey Loscalzo
Deborah Steinbaum
Siobhan Crann Winograd

Be sure to sign up for emails at www.onevillageonevote.com in order to receive all of the latest information and learn how you can help support this change in our Village. Thank you.

Dear Ridgewood Community,

We hope this message finds you and your family safe and well during this unprecedented time. As you know, over the past several months we have been highlighting the facts which demonstrate why it makes sense to consolidate our spring Village elections into the November general election. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, we made a film summarizing the advantages. As we mention in the video, we need YOU, the community, to help with the next step.

FACT 6: YOU have the power to change the voting cycle by signing our Petition.

Our next step is to obtain at least 410 signatures on a petition, which will place this important question on the November 2020 ballot for your consideration and vote. That vote would be a binding referendum; if it is passed, our Village Council and Board of Education elections will all be held in November.

To keep the process safe, Governor Murphy signed an Executive Order which allows this petition process to be done electronically.

Sign the Petition!

If you would like to sign our petition, please directly contact any or all of the petitioners at the below emails. The petition needs to come directly from a petitioner as per the Village Clerk’s recent rejection. Please note all petitions are due back to the petitioners no later than August 11th. Details as follows:

1. Email one of the five petitioners from this list: Bob Fuhrman, bfuhrman49@gmail.com; Matthew Lindenberg, matthew.lindenberg@gmail.com; Deborah Steinbaum, Dsteinbaum@gmail.com; Stacey Loscalzo, sloscalzo1@gmail.com; and Siobhan Crann Winograd, swinograd@hotmail.com to request a petition.
2. Print it.
3. Sign it (only one signature per form, but every voting member in a household can print and sign a form).
4. Physically return it to any of the addresses listed on bottom of the petition, or scan it and email it back to any or all of the emails above.

Also, please share the video with all your Ridgewood friends, family and neighbors. You can also sign up to follow our efforts at onevillageonevote.com.

We look forward to continuing to make progress with you. Thank you in advance for your support.

One Village, One Vote!

Be sure to sign up for emails at www.onevillageonevote.com in order to receive all of the latest information and learn how you can help support this change in our Village. We look forward to connecting with you.

Respectfully,

Bob Fuhrman
Matthew Lindenberg
Stacey Loscalzo
Deborah Steinbaum
Siobhan Crann Winograd

Dear Ridgewood Community:

One aspect of local government that Village residents appreciate is the fact that our Village Council elections are non-partisan, which enables Council members to represent our interests without pressure from major political parties. Preserving the nonpartisan nature of our Council elections is often cited as a reason to maintain off-cycle Village Council municipal elections.

We wholeheartedly agree with the importance of preserving non-partisan municipal elections in Ridgewood.

Fact #5: Consolidating Village Council elections with November general elections does not make them partisan or confusing.

Those opposed to shifting Council election timing frequently claim that November voters tend to vote straight down their political party’s column. They claim that voters either do not know that Council candidates aren’t aligned to a party or do not pause long enough to realize this fact.

In fact, many other communities with non-partisan elections have already solved this issue. For example, Mahwah includes a completely separate section for their non-partisan Board of Education ballot, using an offset table and columns disconnected from partisan races:

With Mahwah as part of Bergen County, our County Clerk already has experience with this type of ballot.

In addition, Cedar Grove, NJ holds both non-partisan Township Council and Board of Education elections during November general elections. They have designed a ballot which completely separates these races from partisan races:

Clearly, there are multiple ways to eliminate any confusion with partisan races.

Consolidating our local elections with the November general elections saves money, increases turnout, and does so without adding confusion or party influence.

One Village, One Vote!

Respectfully,

Bob Fuhrman
Matthew Lindenberg
Stacey Loscalzo
Deborah Steinbaum
Siobhan Crann Winograd

Over the coming weeks and months, we will be presenting data to the community about why it makes sense to move our elections to November. Be sure to sign up for emails at www.onevillageonevote.com in order to receive all of the latest information and learn how you can help support this change in our Village. We look forward to connecting with you.