Current Issues
In July, 2024 President Biden suggested term limits for Supreme Court justices as a possible reform. There is currently no proposed constitutional amendment regarding term limits for future justices. The optional ballot question for the 2024 mock election raises the issue as a hypothetical to foster class discussions regarding the structure and functioning of the Supreme Court and to help students understand some of the current controversy surrounding the Court and its recent decisions. Participation in the issue question is optional, but we hope teachers and students will carefully consider it in addition to assessing the merits of the candidates. The list of included resources is by no means exhaustive, but merely intended as discussion starting points.
Issue questions are included in the mock election to familiarize students with the idea that as adults they will vote on public questions as well as candidates. We will continue to offer links to the issues from recent mock elections for teachers who may be looking for sample issue questions for the current class of students. The information regarding ranked-preference voting in primaries is included to facilitate class discussions on possible means to address the current partisan environment. Since voting is an essential civic responsibility, we have included information regarding voting procedures in New Jersey so that students can participate in the actual election by encouraging parents and other adults to cast their vote in a safe manner of their choosing. It is also hoped that high school students eligible to vote will embrace this important civic responsibility. Please note that some older students are eligible to serve as poll workers.
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2024 Ballot Question
Would you support a constitutional amendment imposing term limits on future Supreme Court justices?
The proposal is at the moment in theory for classroom discussion. No constitutional amendment is currently actively proposed. Such an amendment would allow the President to appoint a Justice every two years to actively serve eighteen years on the Supreme Court. After this time, the Justice would have “senior status” and move on to other judicial duties, thus retaining their lifetime appointment “for good behavior”. It would only apply to future Justices, and not the current members of the Supreme Court.Resources
- President Biden’s proposal (whitehouse.gov)
- The Need For Supreme Court Term Limits (Center for American Progress, posted by Biden administration on whitehouse.gov)
- Pros and Cons of Potential Term Limits for Supreme Court Justices (Columbia Law School)
- The Risks of Supreme Court Limits (abstract, Vanderbilt Law School. For complete short article for advanced students click on the article title in the abstract. Summary report here.)
- Why Term Limits for Supreme Court Justices Makes Sense (Brennan Center for Justice)
- The Arguments Against Setting Term Limits for Supreme Court Justices (NPR)
- Constitution Check: Did the Founders Want Term Limits for Supreme Court Justices? (National Constitution Center, 2015)
- Term Limits – A Way to Tackle the Supreme Court’s Crisis of Legitimacy (Brookings Institution, 2022)
- Term Limits For Supreme Court Justices Would Bring Unexpected Consequences (The Hill)
How to Vote in New Jersey/How Students Can Help
Just because students are under 18 years of age does not mean that they cannot contribute to our democracy and the electoral process. Students can share the information below with the adults in their family and encourage them to vote. Students over 16 years of age can also apply to work as poll workers by clicking the link below.
NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF STATE, DIVISION OF ELECTIONS:
Official State of New Jersey Voter Information Portal website (VOTE.NJ.GOV)
How to vote in New Jersey
VOTING BY MAIL: VOTE, SIGN, SEAL, RETURN:
Secure Drop Box Locations
VOTING IN PERSON:
Polling Locations
AM I REGISTERED?:
Voters must have registered to vote by October 17, 2023. To see if you are registered, click the link below.
Check now.
SUPPORT DEMOCRACY – BECOME A POLL WORKER
POLLWORKER.NJ.GOV
DISTRIBUTE INFORMATIONAL FLYERS
NJ Department of State, Division of Elections – Printable Flyers
2023 Ballot Question - Climate Change and Energy Resources in NJ
This question is optional. Vote on this question if your teacher requires it and you have done the research to be an informed voter. You are our future!Where should New Jersey direct its primary investment and support for future energy resources?
a. Solar
b. Wind
c. Nuclear energy
d. Natural gas
e. Exploration of new sources of fossil fuels such as oil and coal
Explanation: Voters are being asked to choose where they think New Jersey should put its primary or main focus for energy resources for the future. The choice of a primary or main focus does not mean that other resources cannot also be used. The question is asking where New Jersey should first direct its money, research and other investments. Below are suggested resources to facilitate discussion of the issue question. Some of the resources refer to the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.
Resources
- Princeton University – New Jersey Energy Profile and Impact of Individual Plants andd Refineries
- New Jersey Energy Profile – U.S. Energy Information Administration
- United States Department of Energy – New Jersey Energy Sector Risk Profile
- Rutgers University – New Jersey Electricity Data
- Rutgers University – Renewable Energy Data
- Rutgers University – New Jersey Clean Energy Resource Network
- United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission – New Jersey Facilities
- PSEG Nuclear LLC – Salem and Hope Creek Corporate Site
- New Jersey Nuclear Generating Stations – NJ Office of Emergency Management
- New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Solar Power
- New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Wind Power
- NJ Spotlight – New NJ Bill Mandates 100% Clean Energy By 2035
- Office of the Governor | Governor Murphy Announces Filing of Landmark Advanced Clean Cars II Proposal (nj.gov)
Electoral College Reform
Should the Electoral College be replaced by a direct popular vote for president?Below are suggested resources to facilitate discussion of the issue question. Since the 2024 presidential election remains in the future, some of the resources refer to the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.- Should the Electoral College Be Abolished? – NJ Center for Civic Education
- Should the Electoral College stay or go? – PBS NewsHour Classroom
- The Electoral College | National Archives
- National Elections and the Electoral College | The National Constitution Center
- Popular v. President | Electoral College and Popular Vote Lesson Plan | iCivics
- Debating the Electoral College – KQED Learning
- How does the Electoral College Work? | C-SPAN Classroom(Video)
- C-SPAN Classroom Deliberations – Should the Electoral College Be Reformed?
The game has competing student teams allocate limited campaign funds in states of their choosing, hoping to win more electoral college votes. Pre-formatted spreadsheets with built-in calculators should make the game easy to run.
This folder has all the materials and this video explains the game.Daylight Saving Time Year Round?
Should we eliminate the time change in the fall, making it Daylight Saving Time all 12 months of the year?The proposed change would mean that we do not move clocks back in the fall. Instead New Jersey would keep clocks set to Daylight Saving Time all year, with a later sunrise and a later sunset.- Student Graphic Organizer for organizing research
- National Geographic: The Odd History of Changing Our Clocks
- US Geological Survey Time Zone History and Link to Printable Maps (link to maps in grey box on side)
- Time Zone Map and Pending Legislation By State (2019)
- Time.gov Map of Time Zones
- US Dept. of Transportation Procedure for Requesting Change of Time Zone. This concerns the related issue of requesting a move to a different time zone.
- National Geographic: The Case Against Daylight Saving Time
- CNN Opinion: Keep Daylight Saving Time All Year
- Popular Mechanics Opinion: In Defense of Daylight Saving Time
- Pro and Con Regarding Daylight Saving Time
- UCLA Opinion: Vote to Stay On Daylight Saving Time
- Quartz Opinion: Against Daylight Saving Time
- Should NJ Consider Ending Daylight Saving Time?
No School Before 8:30 a.m.?
Should New Jersey law require that the school day start no earlier than 8:30 a.m.?Such a proposed state law would require that New Jersey public schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. The proposed law is in response to research that suggests that student academic performance would benefit from students having extra time for sleep. The law would not change any requirements regarding the length of the school day.Ranked Preference Primaries
Ranked Voting
In the 2020 February primary mock election, students submitted online ballots using ranked preference voting. Most elections in the United States employ a “winner takes all” system of voting where voters choose one candidate on the ballot. This often works to the detriment of third-party candidates or those candidates trailing the front-runner, as voters decide to vote for the candidate with the perceived best chance of winning, rather than the candidate who best represents their positions and beliefs. In an age of political polarization, a system of ranked voting has been suggested as a means to allow more moderate candidates to have a greater chance of success.- Ranked Choice Voting – National Conference of State Legislatures (with links to additional resources)
- Ranked Choice Voting, Pros and Cons – Ballotpedia.org
- “Ranking Candidates Is More Accurate Than Voting” – Scientific American
- “Ranked Choice Voting And The Quest To Save Democracy In The U.S.” – Quartz.com
