Lincoln Annex

Four years ago, Interim Superintendent of Schools Kyle Anderson, recommended the closure of New Brunswick, NJ’s Lincoln Annex Elementary School in favor of replacing the beloved neighborhood public school with a $750 million cancer institute funded by Robert Wood Johnson and Rutgers University. The Lincoln Annex School was home to a population of over 94% Latino students in a community where 19.3% of the population is non-citizen. 

Despite community members’ best efforts to resist the closure and demolition of Lincoln Annex, a new school began construction on a contested site due to toxic waste and safety concerns, and in the meantime, students were made to attend a temporary replacement school in a converted warehouse. 

The power dynamics in New Brunswick’s local government inevitably skew to favor corporate interest, but what if there was a way to give community residents a louder voice? The Votes for All campaign seeks to grant non-citizens 16 years of age and older in New Brunswick and Jersey City the right to vote in local and municipal elections. If the campaign receives enough petition signatures, it will be up to current registered voters to extend solidarity with their neighbors and vote in favor of the ballot provision in November. 

Non-citizens work in our communities, pay taxes, send their kids to our public schools, contribute to the local economy, and are an integral part of the fabric of what makes cities like New Brunswick and Jersey City so vibrant. As national debates about the state of democracy in America rage on this election year, the Votes for All campaign is bringing democracy back to the grassroots level where it’s impact is most deeply felt.

As parents and advocates, we also know that students’ learning conditions extend beyond the school day. As New Brunswick and Jersey City residents struggle to pay rent, secure dignified living conditions from landlords, and access community resources, having the right to vote presents non-citizens with another opportunity to fight alongside their working-class citizen neighbors for tenant protections and civic rights. 

While we know the fight for student rights in New Brunswick will continue, we can’t help but imagine how much more powerful our communities could be if everyone had the right to vote on the issues that matter to us all.