Last updated Nov. 1, 2024.
West Windsor voters will soon decide whether to shift the way their municipal elections operate. A referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot will ask if residents want to change municipal elections for mayor and council from nonpartisan to partisan.
The proposal emerged after a committee of six residents helped organize an effort that gathered more than 1,500 signatures, triggering the vote.
The members of the Petitioners Committee are James Appenzeller, Henry Hsiao, Dale Lessne, Sweekrutha Shankar, Elizabeth Wagner and Yingchao “YZ” Zhang.
If a majority of residents vote “Yes” in favor of the change, the next municipal election in November 2025 will follow rules for partisan elections.
The text of the referendum on the ballot states: “Shall the municipal charter of the Township of West Windsor, governed by the nonpartisan Mayor-Council form of government under the Faulkner Act, be amended, as permitted under that plan, to provide for a change from nonpartisan to partisan municipal elections to be held in November?”
According to the interpretive statement on the ballot, “Voting ‘Yes’ to this question will allow for a change from nonpartisan candidates for municipal office to partisan candidates for office to appear on the ballot as either a nominee of a political party or as an independent. A ‘No’ vote will result in the continuation of nonpartisan elections to be held in November.
As the referendum date nears, two advocacy groups with opposing views have emerged.
“West Windsor Voters for Transparency and Representation” supports a shift to partisan elections, while “Keep West Windsor Nonpartisan” favors keeping elections nonpartisan.
Read here for arguments in favor of the change by West Windsor Voters for Transparency and Representation. For arguments against the change by Keep West Windsor Nonpartisan, click here.
For letters from residents regarding the referendum, see this post.
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Although the both types of elections take place on the same date, the process for candidates to appear on the ballot is very different.
Under the current nonpartisan system, party affiliation is not listed on the ballot. If the candidate doesn’t disclose it publicly, voters must research whether the person is a registered Democrat or Republican.
The only requirement to get on the ballot is to collect the required number of signatures. Candidates can opt to run alone or group themselves into a slate with a slogan, which is listed on the ballot.
Under the nonpartisan form of government Republicans and Democrats can run together on the same slate. Although slates can be backed, endorsed and even financed by political parties, their affiliations are not allowed to be identified on the ballot.
Meanwhile, in partisan municipal elections, candidates run for local office with party affiliations, typically as Democrats or Republicans.
Primary elections are held in June to determine the nominees from each political party. Voters who are registered with a party can vote in their party’s primary. Unaffiliated voters can declare a party affiliation at the polling place on primary day to vote in one of the primaries, though this changes their voter registration.
Candidates from minor parties or unaffiliated candidates can still run in the general election by collecting the required number of signatures to appear on the ballot.
During the General Election in November, the candidates who won their party’s nomination in the primaries face off, along with any independent candidates.
Since these elections are partisan, candidates often receive support from local, county and sometimes state party organizations, including endorsements, funding and help from campaign volunteers.
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West Windsor changed to its current form of government in the early 1990s, transitioning from a township committee to a mayor-council form. The change was prompted by the township’s population growth and evolving community needs.
Under the previous partisan township committee model, which had been in effect since 1797, elected officials held both legislative and executive powers.
As the population began to increase in the late 1980s and early 1990s, residents raised concerns about the effectiveness and responsiveness of the government in managing local services and infrastructure.
In response to these concerns, a grassroots movement emerged advocating for a more efficient governance structure. The entire process was governed by a state law called the Faulkner Act, also known as the “Optional Municipal Charter Law.”
The West Windsor Charter Study Commission was elected by residents to look at the form of government and evaluate whether a change was needed. The Commission—made up of members from both parties as well as Independents—recommended a council-manager form of government with nonpartisan elections.
Following public forums and discussions, residents ultimately opted in favor of changing to a nonpartisan mayor-council (rather than council-manager) form of government in a referendum.
This system allowed for the direct election of a mayor, who would assume executive authority, while the five-member council would be a legislative body.
The council and first mayor under the new system, Thomas Frascella, took office in July 1993. The new governance structure included checks and balances designed to ensure that power was distributed between the mayor and the council, similar to the way the federal government operates.
Since Frascella there have been three other mayors—Carole Carson, Shing-Fu Hsueh, who served in the position for almost 17 years, and current Mayor Hemant Marathe.
At the time of the change, nonpartisan elections in New Jersey were held in May. It remained that way for almost a two decades. In 2010 state law changed to allow nonpartisan elections to take place at the same time as the general election. West Windsor was the first municipality in the state to approve the switch.
In a recent interview with the News, Charter Study Commission member John Roeder discussed the group’s decision to opt for nonpartisan elections.
“The idea of changing to nonpartisan was not something that was uppermost in our consideration, until Bob Murray, a former mayor, testified before our Commission,” Roeder said. “He said there’s no connection between local issues and the national party issues, and when it came time for us to vote for one of the options, we were unanimous in favor of nonpartisan,”
Roeder said he stands behind that original recommendation and is in favor of West Windsor remaining nonpartisan.
“I think it’s been very healthy. Everybody has an equal shot at running for office,” said Roeder.
The above graphic released by Keep WW Nonpartisan shows that the campaign to to change the township to partisan elections has received thousands of dollars in donations from interests outside of the township. Much of the money comes from Democratic politicians from throughout New Jersey and Mercer County.,
The above is the back of a political mailer in favor of the change to partisan elections in West Windsor. It's a cartoon depicting Mayor Hemant Marathe, Council President Linda Geevers and Vice President Andrea Mandel as puppets of President Donald Trump. West Windsor Voters for Transparency and Representation and members of the Committee of Petitioners has disavowed knowledge of the mailer.,
