Eric Kurta, of of the named petitioners is down in the City of Hoboken's Clerk's Office submitting the petitions this afternoon. Here is the press release on their great efforts in the dog days of August when people are away.....
1,800 Hoboken Residents Petition
To Consolidate Local Elections
August 15, 2012- (Hoboken, NJ) This afternoon, the Vote Yes For November citizens’ committee successfully submitted to the city clerk approximately 1,800 petition signatures from local residents to consolidate municipal elections in Hoboken. When certified, the petitions will allow the people of Hoboken to decide this November when future municipal elections will be held. If the two ballot questions proposed to residents are approved, Hoboken’s municipal elections will move to Election Day in November, with the candidate for each office receiving the most votes on Election Day being elected to serve.
“Consolidating the municipal elections to when voters are already voting in November would not only result in greater voter participation and less hassle for voters, but also save taxpayers over $100,000 for each election saved," said Vijay Chaudhuri, a member of the citizens' committee. Any way to make it more convenient for residents to vote and save hundreds of thousands of dollars over the next several years is a win-win situation for everyone involved."
Sasha Conroy, another member of the Committee, noted that in 2009 Hoboken held a total of five elections in eight months costing Hoboken taxpayers over half a million dollars and forcing citizens to endure round after round of nasty campaign literature, attack advertisements, and constant phone calls to influence the course of yet another municipal election.
“This year, the Board of Education took the common sense first step by moving the School Board elections to Election Day,” Ms. Conroy explained. “Elections should be held on Election Day in November. These initiatives will allow the people to decide whether they should vote once and for all on Election Day in November, or whether they prefer to vote numerous times throughout the year.”
After the petitions are certified, two initiatives will be placed on the ballot in November when residents vote in the Presidential election. The first question will move the municipal elections to November, while the second question will consolidate the municipal elections to a winner take all system, similar to the process of electing federal and state office holders. The two petition questions required approximately 640 signatures to reach the ballot, an amount nearly tripled by the committee’s efforts.
If a majority of Hoboken residents vote yes on the two propositions, Hoboken’s next municipal election would be held in November of 2013.
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