The recent presidential election was characterized by candidates, campaigns and analysts as a generational fight for democracy. Nevertheless, 7% fewer New Jersey voters cast a ballot this year compared to the 2020 presidential election.

Working to ensure lower voter participation in elections does not become the norm, a range of faith, labor and community organizations have thrown their support behind the Million Voters Project, which launched last week. 

Nedia Morsy, deputy director of Make the Road New Jersey, says more than 15 organizations across the state have joined, from Fort Lee to Camden. With most of the work being done door to door or by phone, Morsy says the project is critical, especially among demographic groups that are often left out of the political process and who don’t feel their voices are heard in Trenton.

“There was a lot of people who chose the couch and chose to stay home and that led to huge drops in voter turnout,” said Assatta Mann of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, one of the participating organizations. “A lot of people feel that voting doesn’t matter, and their voice doesn’t matter. So, for us, that has been a problem for a long time, and we want to make sure people of color know that their voice has power in a lot of different ways but especially through their vote.”