New Jersey is widely considered one of the most diverse states in the nation — but even after an election last year that brought big changes, most of the county leaders who make decisions are white men, notes Julia Sass Rubin.
Topic
New Jersey
New Jersey’s electoral process just got upended
Party leaders give preferential placement to their candidates. Those not on the county line are tucked away in obscure rows and columns. Julia Sass Rubin of Rutgers University
looked at 20 years of New Jersey races and found that the county line steered voters and helped preferred candidates by an average difference of 38%.
NJSPL – Newark Community-Based Organizers’ Perspectives
What can we do about young adults who are disengaged and not enrolling in college? In this NJSPL blog, representatives of community-based organizations identify barriers that Newark youth face in planning for Higher Education and their future (e.g., limited finances, difficulties completing the FAFSA,
County clerks forge ahead with new ballot design
New Jersey Democratic primary voters will see ballots that look very different from what they are used to and also different from the ones Republican voters will see. County clerks are designing ballots for the June election to comply with the recent federal court...
Julia Rubin and Rutgers Experts Make History on Party Line
“One of the impacts of the county line has been discouraging those who do not receive the party’s endorsement from running. Candidates understand that running off the line is ineffective so they tend to drop out if they are not selected for the line.”
Could the end of the NJ county line doom county political machines? Some wonder
“I think people will start to speak up and you’ll see more people entering contests,” said Julia Sass Rubin. “You will see more pushback … We’ll see more bravery.”
NJSPL Report: Resilience Through Functionality
In this work, we introduce a novel approach to resilience assessment, emphasizing essential functionalities over intricate attributes. Resilience, in this context, means ensuring uninterrupted access to critical services and functions during and after disasters.
‘School choice’ bill is effort to create a voucher program in New Jersey, critics say
“This is a time when our public schools are hurting. A third of our schools are facing teacher layoffs right now … and the Legislature can’t bring itself to figure out how to solve that problem. But 14 Democrats introduced this piece of garbage,” said Julia Sass Rubin
These companies are cutting more than 4,600 jobs in NJ in 2024
“Certainly, growth has slowed, really in the second half of the year,” said James Hughes, an economist at Rutgers University.
Abolishing the “Ballot Line” Will Reshape Progressive Politics
The state’s powerful political machines, which have dominated Garden State politics and dictated its policies for much of the last century, lost their most potent tool — the “county line” primary ballot.
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2025 Bloustein Alumni Awards Celebration
Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ, United StatesSince 1994, the Bloustein School Alumni Association has aimed to present awards to accomplished alumni each year. Our goal is to pay tribute to alumni and friends to recognize their […]
RAISE 2025 – Our Future With AI: Utopian or Dystopian?
Gov. James J. Florio Special Events Forum, CSB 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ, United StatesInformatics - Data Science - AI Competition Step into the future of innovation! RAISE-25 will challenge you to unravel the scope of AI's impact on our lives and human society. […]
Can We Talk? Addressing Equity and the Impact of Social Determinants on Maternal Health
Bloustein School, Civic Square Building 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ, United StatesPresented by the Bloustein School and Rutgers School of Nursing