NJ Ballot Bowl 2024 is a program of the New Jersey Department of State’s Jersey Civic Engage initiative, and a joint effort with the ALL In Campus Democracy Challenge. It is a statewide non-partisan voter registration and engagement competition led by and for students! This year Ballot Bowl 2024 will again be counting both pledges to vote and voter registrations as part of the competition. The combined total of registrations and pledges, as a percentage of student enrollment, will determine the winners in each competitive division.
Every election is significant. The federal midterm elections are front and center this year, but so are local and county level elections. Municipal officials, school board members, local fire district commissioners and county commissioners are on the ballot across the state. These local elections have the most impact on our day-to-day lives. The Ballot Bowl competition is a great opportunity to make that point.
Voter registration is an initial step in the voting process, but not the only step. This friendly competition is also about persuading people to commit to vote. That will mean talking specifically about the value of voting, not about a particular candidate, but how voting affects all of us. We believe that when people feel they have a stake in their community they are more likely to participate in its public life, involve others, and vote.
Ballot Bowl 2024 will begin on September 1st and it will run through Election Day. There will be a formal statewide kickoff event in September during Constitution Week and an award Touchdown Ceremony just after the election.
The NJ Ballot Bowl 2024 Kickoff Event will take place at WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY on Tuesday, September 17th at 12:30 PM with Lt. Governor Tahesha Way and other special guests.
This year's participating schools:
Bergen Community College
Berkeley College
Caldwell University
Camden County College
Centenary University
County College of Morris
Felican University
Georgian Court University
Kean University
Mercer County Community College
Middlesex College
Montclair State University
Princeton University
Ramapo College
Rider University
Rowan College at Burlington County
Rowan University
Rutgers University-Camden
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Rutgers University-Newark
St. Peters University
Sussex County Community College
The College of New Jersey
Warren Community College
William Paterson University