Sunday, April 30, 2023

Email Submitted to All Lodi Board of Education Members: "Suppressing Voter Turnout is Undemocratic and Very Backwards"

------ Original Message ------

To: boardmembers@lodi.k12.nj.us Sent: Sunday, April 30, 2023 3:57 PM Subject: Suppressing Voter Turnout is Undemocratic and Very Backwards

Board Members Cardone, Salvacion, Cima, Anderson, Jimenez, and Cannizzaro,

This week, you voted to move Annual School Elections from November to April and stated in your Resolution that it was for the purpose of "achieving greater efficiency and voter turnout". Northjersey.com clearly laid out this week that voter turnout in Lodi greatly increased when Elections were moved from April to November. That has been the case throughout the State. You had to have been aware of that before your vote and before a Record reporter had to explain it to you. Laura Cima was on the Lodi council in 2012 when a group of residents provided her and the council with all data showing that November Elections increased turnout and saved money.

Questions for each of the six Board Members:

Why did you purposely lie in your Resolution?

Why didn't you include this Resolution on your agenda?

Why didn't you seek any public input prior to the vote?

Who initiated this Resolution and when?

Why are so few school districts in New Jersey holding their annual Elections in April if it's a better option than November?

Why would you want less people participating in School Elections?

Why would you spend tens of thousands of Lodi tax dollars each year on an additional Election to ensure that less people vote?

You owe these answers to the residents of Lodi.

Purposely suppressing voter turnout and then lying about is unacceptable behavior.

Ryan Curioni