With the New Jersey gubernatorial election in less than a week, Rowan University students say they have a lack of interest in the candidates, but still want to see change in the state. 

On Nov. 4, the general election for New Jersey will be held, and voters will have their choice between the Democratic candidate, Mikie Sherrill, and the Republican candidate, Jack Ciattarelli. Although all registered New Jersey residents can vote in the election, only about 17% of New Jersey residents between the ages of 18 and 29 voted in the 2017 gubernatorial election, according to CIRCLE’s analysis. The 2021 gubernatorial election saw a slight increase of 3%.

Though the numbers between the 2017 and 2021 gubernatorials show that more younger people are voting, the percentage is still on the lower side. This raises the question: why aren’t younger New Jersey residents voting?

In the case of Rowan University students, knowledge about the election varies from a majority of students unwilling to be interviewed due to disinterest in the race, to the select few who either are eager to vote or, at the very least, keep up with election news. 

Thomas Morey, a computing informatics student and member of the Air Force, follows national politics through TikTok, but not state issues. 

“One’s a girl, one’s a guy,” Morey said. 

Similarly, freshman biology major James Carr said he doesn’t plan to vote due to a lack of information, but would like to see a focus on clean energy in the state. 

Many students who don’t plan to vote gave similar reasons, mainly that they aren’t knowledgeable about state politics or don’t think their vote matters. 

Malaki Perry, a sophomore electrical and computer engineering major, and his friend Peter La, a junior information systems and analytics major, both said they don’t plan to vote in the upcoming election because they don’t think their votes will make a difference.

“I think the only important election is the presidential election,” Perry said. “That’s the only thing I voted in.”

While La’s friends told him to vote to help keep New Jersey a Democratic state, he said he doesn’t plan to. 

“I feel like I heard a lot of people say, ‘votes don’t matter,’” La said. 

Students like Mark Joazile, a radio, television, and film major, said they don’t trust the government. He is aware of who is running, but said it would take a lot for him to vote in the election. Joazile said he is concerned with the high taxes in New Jersey, which he said are not being used effectively.

“It’s going straight to the government’s pockets,” Joazile said. “I want to see something done.” 

Other students, like Emma Warburton, a sophomore sociology major, said that voting is important, and she is eager to do so. 

“I’m really hoping a lot of people do vote, and realize how important it is,” Warburton said. “A lot of laws, especially right now, are up to the states to decide, so I think it’s really important if we want to keep most of our rights, especially women, we should vote in this election. 

Warburton and her friends, sophomore psych major Taylor Cannella and sophomore history education major Katie Romanyshyn, plan on voting for Mikie Sherrill. 

Unlike Warburton, Cannella, and Romanyshyn, Alex Tongas, a freshman health and science communication major, plans to vote for Jack Ciattarelli because he says democrats have become too extreme. Though he believes Sherrill avoids answering questions, and despite the fact that he often disagrees with Ciattarelli on some issues, Tongas thinks Ciattarelli at least has a plan for New Jersey. 

Molly Wagner, a psychology and law and justice dual major, is politically active. Wagner voted in the primary election and plans to vote in the gubernatorial race because of her concern for the cost of living in New Jersey.

“New Jersey is a very expensive place to live,” Wagner said.

Even though not every student plans to vote, many share a concern for New Jersey’s high cost of living and other issues. For some, this concern does not lead to action due to distrust in the system or a lack of information. Others, however, see the importance of voting, even at a state level.

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