ON EVE OF NEWARK SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION, PROJECT READY ANNOUNCES OVER 10,000 VOTER COMMITMENTS IN MASSIVE NONPARTISAN GOTV CAMPAIGN

Local School Board Election Effort Builds on the Group’s Success in Voter Turnout in November 2020

NEWARK, NJ — Non-profit social justice advocacy group Project Ready announced today that their citywide, non-partisan voter turnout operation has reached over 10,000 commitments to vote in tomorrow’s Newark Board of Education Election – an election in which traditionally approximately 7,000-8,000 voters participate.

For several months, Project Ready has been informing and educating Newark voters on why it’s important to vote in local school board elections, and then encouraging them to commit to voting on April 20, when four of the nine seats on the local school board are up for election.

The off-cycle elections historically have very low voter turnout, so the organization ramped up its outreach efforts through phone-banking, text messaging, direct mail, and even commissioned artwork to spur action. In total, Project Ready’s grassroots organization made 30,000 phone calls and sent 7,000 text messages to a targeted universe of Newark voters.

“During this past year of the pandemic, more and more Newarkers are realizing the importance of voting – and not just in presidential elections,” said Nayibe Capellan, Project Ready’s Chief of Staff. “At Project Ready, we’ve focused our efforts on engaging voters across Newark’s neighborhoods, with a particular focus on mothers of school age-children – because we know that where moms go, communities follow.”

Of the 10,232 commitments to vote, 71% are from women and 54% from voters aged 25 to 54. In the November 2020 General Election, more than 63% of Project Ready members voted, compared to a city-wide turnout of about 50%.

About Project Ready:

Project Ready is a non-profit social justice organization based in Newark, New Jersey. Our long-term vision is to see a world where no community is left voiceless—a world where parents, guardians, and students in our most vulnerable communities feel heard, informed, and civically educated, and thereby powered to overhaul systems and policies in place that limit educational opportunities.

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