Voter Registration Information

At age 17, students are eligible to register to vote, and can vote in all elections once they turn 18. Below is information regarding voter registration, why voting is important, and voting requirements for New Jersey.

Secretary Way’s NJ High School Voter Registration Week Video

 How to Participate in NJ High School Voter Registration Week

 

 

Why Should I Vote?

Make your voice heard Every Vote Counts!

The Importance of Voting

It is one of the most important rights and responsibilities that U.S. citizens have. About 150 million American citizens are qualified to vote, Unfortunately, many don't. They give up on a chance to choose leaders and representatives who will do things that are important to them,

Why Vote?

Voting is one of the most precious rights we have as Americans. Of course, it was not always that way. Over time, many people in our nation fought - and some gave their lives - for the cause of equal voting rights for all individuals. That tells us something about the power of the vote. Like all hard-won rights, voting is something we should not treat lightly. It is a right we should respect, and it is a right we should exercise.

Every Vote Counts

It's also important for citizens to know how to work the voting machines or to mark the ballots they'll be using when they vote, so that their votes will be counted, Why is that so important? Because every vote counts! An election might be decided by a single vote and history would be changed because a person got... or lost. i.e., that one vote.

Here are some important events in U.S. history that were decided by just a few votes:

Richard Nixon, not John F. Kennedy, would have become President of the U.S. in 1960 if one person from each voting place had voted differently, if just one U.S. Senator had voted differently. U.S. President Andrew Johnson would have been removed from office in 1867.

Texas might not have become part of the United States in 1845 if one U.S. Senator had voted differently. The vote in the U.S. Senate was 27-25 to invite Texas to become a state. If it had been a tie, Texas would not have been asked to become part of the Union.

You Can Make a Difference! Here's how...

Play a role in choosing our leaders and changing our laws by voting.

If you're 18 or older, vote in every federal, state, and local election.

Learn about the candidates and issues before you vote in any election.

Know what's going on in your country and community.

Write letters to public officials about issues that are important to you.

Remind everyone 18 and older to vote.

Respect your right to vote! It's a privilege that many people in the world don't have.

Voter Registration Eligibility Requirements

Must be:

• A United States Citizen
• 17 years old to register and 18 years old to vote
• Resident of county at least 30 days before the election
• Not serving a prison sentence, on parole, or on probation for a felony
• You can register from your college address or parents' address
• The registration deadline is 21 days prior to election day