Current Issues
This year’s mock election for students will not include an issue question. We will continue to offer the links to the issues from recent 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 during a pandemic is now an issue of historical significance, 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.-
How to Vote in New Jersey
NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF STATE, DIVISION OF ELECTIONS:
Official State of New Jersey Voter Information Portal website
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?:
Check now. Voters must register by October 13, 2020.
FOR STUDENTS ELIGIBLE TO VOTE AS ADULTS::
Rutgers 555Daylight 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 past 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
- “A Mathematical Approach to Moderacy” – Smerconish.com
