When Sandy McClure and I were signing “The Soprano State” we often were asked why the corruption continues and why taxes are so out of control. A new Rutgers-Eagleton Poll sheds some light on that. Three-fourths of New Jerseyans are unaware there are elections next week. Back in 1971 the figure was 85 percent. The people who do the voting are the ones who have a vested interest in the outcome. That and gerrymandered districts keep the same pols in office.
“… Rresidents actually do worse than four decades ago when taking into account whether those who named a specific office(s) on the ballot were correct: just 6 percent rightly say that the state Assembly is on the ballot this year, and 3 percent mention the Legislature in general. Even fewer residents can correctly name their own state senators. Among all Garden Staters, 8 percent give some name, but only 5 percent actually get it right,” the Poll said in a release.
“As we approach Rutgers-Eagleton’s 200th poll, we are revisiting some questions from its earliest days. It appears that the more things change, the more they stay the same – at least when it comes to awareness of state government,” said Ashley Koning, assistant director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers. “In general, citizens know relatively little about state government, so as the Poll’s first director Stephen Salmore said in 1971, it is ‘depressing but not really surprising.’ In particular, this is an off-year election, and with the General Assembly at the top of the ticket and the only office appearing on every New Jersey ballot, Legislative elections are definitely not on New Jerseyans’ radar this November.”
Ironically, residents continue to cite taxes and the economy and jobs as the most important problems facing the Garden State. And, they think the government is making very little progress toward solving anything, no matter their top concern.
It will never get any better until enough people get involved, learn who is responsible for keeping the state in such sorry shape and kick their butts out of office.
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