Constitution Day and Citizenship Day are important days in U.S. history, celebrating the anniversary of the Founding Fathers signing the U.S. Constitution. It is celebrated on September 17, and the National Constitution Center stated it “encourages citizens to learn about their civic responsibilities and opportunities.” The upcoming New Jersey election is especially crucial with the election of a new governor.
One of the earliest commemorations of the Constitution’s signing date happened in 1861. Amidst the Civil War, Philadelphia residents used the anniversary to publicly affirm their allegiance to the Union. In 1939, William Randolph Hearst led public celebrations to honor new citizens in cities across the country. In particular, Los Angeles advocated for a law establishing “I Am An American Day.”
The next year, President Franklin Roosevelt declared that the third Sunday in May would be “I Am An American Citizenship Day.” It was later renamed to “Citizenship Day” and moved to September 17 in 1952. In 1956, the week of September 17 through September 25 was designated as Constitution Week. Finally, in 2004, the observance was named “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day,” and Congress declared that educational institutions that received federal funding had to hold related education programs. Stevens celebrated Constitution Day by checking for voter registrations, teaching how to register, and playing fun trivia. They also celebrated National Voter Day by teaching the community how to register and playing trivia.
For New Jersey, you can check if you’re registered to vote through the New Jersey Division of Elections’ website. If you aren’t registered, you can register online using your date of birth and one of the following forms of identification: driver’s license, non-driver ID card issued by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC), or your social security number. An alternative option is to fill out and print a paper application and then send it to your County Commissioner of Registration or Superintendent of Elections for your county. The voter registration deadline for general elections in New Jersey is October 14.
Where you vote is dependent on the address used to register to vote. College students have the option to register either from their college or their parents’ address. To vote, you can apply for a vote by mail (applications due October 28), in-person early voting, or in-person voting on Election Day.
As Governor Phil Murphy has already served a maximum of two terms as governor, this election will elect a new governor. The Republican candidate is Jack Ciattarelli, while the Democratic candidate is Mikie Sherrill. They had their first debate on Sunday, September 21 at Rider University in Lawrenceville, where they discussed energy policies, tax changes, health care cuts, and vaccines. Their running mates will face off in the Lieutenant Governor debate on Tuesday, September 30 at Kean University. Following that, the final debate between the two gubernatorial candidates will occur on Wednesday, October 8, at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center.
If anyone has any questions, they can call 1-877-NJ-VOTER (1-877-658-6837) or visit the official New Jersey Voter Information Portal for more information.
