West Windsor Township elections will remain nonpartisan.
Township voters on Nov. 5 overwhelmingly opposed a referendum question proposing that municipal elections for mayor and council be changed from nonpartisan to partisan.
According to unofficial results, 8,322 people (65.56%) voted against the change, while 4,371 (34.44%) voted in favor. A total of 12,695 people voted on the referendum. The township has about 22,000 registered voters, meaning that about 58 percent of voted on the measure.
If a majority of residents had voted “Yes” in favor of the change, the next municipal election in November 2025 will have followed rules for partisan elections. That would have meant that candidates for municipal office would have appeared on the ballot as Republicans or Democrats, and would have been chosen during primary elections in June.
Independents who gained the appropriate number of signatures would also have been listed lower on the ballot, but slates with candidates from both political parties (as is allowed now under nonpartisan elections) would not have been allowed.
Two advocacy groups with opposing views had emerged in the runup to the referendum.
Keep West Windsor Nonpartisan favored keeping elections nonpartisan.
“Our campaign was a true grass roots effort of residents from all backgrounds and political parties,” reads a statement on the group’s website. “It’s time now for our wonderful community to come together and work towards making West Windsor the very best that it can be.”
“We want to thank West Windsor residents for reaffirming the values of inclusivity, civility independence, and emphasis on local issues that our system has represented for the last 32 years,” states the group.
Advocating for the change to partisan elections was West Windsor Voters for Transparency and Representation.
“While this was not the result we had hoped for, we are incredibly grateful for the dedication and energy each of you put into this effort,” states the group in a post on its website.
The group adds: “Your commitment to making West Windsor a better place for all residents has been truly inspiring, and it’s clear that while we’re not a majority there are many in the community that are looking for the changes that better transparency, representation and accountability would bring to West Windsor.”
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