FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 16, 2023
Contact: [email protected]
ATNJ EDUCATION FUND PROVIDES CIVICS HANDBOOKS TO NEW JERSEY TEENS
MADISON, NJ – ATNJ Education Fund (ATNJEF), a nonpartisan, nonprofit voter education organization, announces the launch of The New Jersey Civics Handbook, a comprehensive guide to the voting process written especially for teens and young adults.
The Handbook covers everything a new voter needs to know, including voter registration requirements and instructions, voting methods, election dates and deadlines, ballot information, the different types of elections and the varied functions of elected offices. It also offers helpful tips on issues like avoiding mail-in ballot rejection and navigating the pitfalls of NJ ballot design.
Created by a team of 23 New Jersey researchers, writers, editors and a graphic designer, along with input from the teens serving on the ATNJEF Student Advisory Board, The New Jersey Civics Handbook aims to ensure that the next generation of voters is well-equipped to become participants in the democratic process. “The past several years, especially, have shown that social and economic policies meant to dismantle structural and systemic inequities can only be achieved through public support. Young people, who will be most affected in the future by policies being considered and implemented now, have an opportunity to help shape their destiny by making a habit of voting,” says Uyen Khuong, Executive Director of ATNJEF.
Recent research shows that young people turn out to vote at the lowest rate when compared to all other age groups. Khuong wants to change that. “Increasing the voter participation rate of young people is critical. We hope this handy resource will help the next generation become educated, consistent voters,” she explains. Although New Jersey Administrative Code (6A:32-14.1) calls for all NJ high schools to provide “each eligible high school student prior to the school year's graduation date a voter registration form, a summary of voter registration eligibility requirements, and materials describing the role of a citizen and the importance of voting,” ATNJEF found that a sampling of high school students from five different school districts in Essex, Morris, Union and Gloucester counties never received any of the required information. The New Jersey Civics Handbook fills this crucial void for young voters.
In its 2023 launch year, ATNJ Education Fund plans to mail the Handbooks directly to registered 17-year-olds who will turn 18 by Election Day in November and who live in the bottom 291 most vulnerable zip codes in NJ, a ranking that factors in 20 metrics including income level, race, ethnicity and educational attainment. Based on the voter data history files as of Dec 19, 2022, there are currently 21,595 registered high school students in New Jersey who will qualify to vote for the first time in the November election this year.
“Historical voter registration data shows that there are 20,000 to 23,000 newly registered 17-year-olds every year, and our plan is to mail The New Jersey Civics Handbooks to this cohort yearly. This allows them to get a timely civics education and become informed voters prior to their first qualified general election. In addition, we provide an online flippable PDF version at NJVotes.org that is free to all and also helps those with visual accessibility needs,” Khuong states.
Founded in 2018, ATNJEF is focused on both providing voter education and expanding voting access to New Jerseyans who have historically been disenfranchised due to various reasons including lack of transportation, accessibility needs or inability to get time off of work to vote. The leading vote-by-mail experts in New Jersey, ATNJEF has been the driving force in helping to educate voters about their expanded voting options through a number of initiatives, including its website: www.votebymailNJ.org.
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ATNJ Education Fund (ATNJEF) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in New Jersey. ATNJEF envisions a future in which all New Jerseyans are informed and engaged in democracy; where the power lies with working class people; and where elected officials enact policies that create and maintain a just, fair and inclusive community. Visit www.ATNJEF.org for more information. To view The New Jersey Civics Handbook, visit NJVotes.org.
