An estimated 16 school districts are holding school board elections today, according to the New Jersey School Boards Association.

Just over a decade ago, most school elections were held in April. Starting in 2012, the state allowed districts to move their elections to the November general election date to boost voter turnout. More than 95% of the state’s roughly 600 districts did so.

Voters are heading to the polls in Newark, the state’s largest school district, where 10 candidates are competing for four seats on the board. Four candidates are incumbents, four are returning candidates and two are new. Newark’s nine-member Board of Education oversees policies that affect the district’s roughly 40,000 students.

Newark City Council in January voted unanimously to lower the voting age to 16 in school board elections. Organizers were hopeful 16- and 17-year-old students would be able to cast their first ballots today, but city officials said implementation of the lower voting age won’t happen until 2025 due to voter registration issues.

Four school districts that are holding school board elections are also giving voters the chance to vote on school-related questions. Voters in New Brunswick, Monroe Township and Westfield will vote on raising additional money in taxes for the 2024-2025 school year. The approval of the taxes in Monroe and Westfield would result in a permanent increase in the district’s tax levy. Byram Township will vote on raising a permanent $1.7 million addition to the budget to offset funding cuts over the last several years.