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Voter Information
Hotline:
1-800-792-VOTE
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Reports from the League
The Challenges for Women in Achieving Professional Success
Lieutenant Sharon Papp, speaking on "The Challenges for Women in Achieving Professional Success" at the YWCA's Bramwell House, March 23, 2007, a joint Princeton Area LWV and YWCA meeting |
(l-r) Linda Sipprelle, Board Member, LWV of the Princeton Area,
Lt. Sharon Papp, Princeton Borough Police Department,
Pam Elmi, Director of Program Development & Bramwell, Facility Manager, YWCA Princeton. |
In case you missed it...Implementing HAVA
Details:
Anne Milgram, first assistant New Jersey attorney general (and Eagleton alumna), and Doug Chapin, director of electionline.org, joined a packed drawing room crowd of citizens, students, and county election officials for a program entitled, “Implementing the Help America Vote Act After 2006: Next Steps Nationally and in New Jersey.” The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) passed the Congress and was signed into law by the President in 2002. HAVA provided funds to states to improve election administration and created the Election Assistance Commission to assist in the administration of federal elections. HAVA also mandated certain actions be taken by the states, including the creation of a Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS). This program, sponsored by the Institute’s New Jersey Project, is one of a series of seminars to help track the progress of HAVA implementation.
Key points made by the speakers:
Doug Chapin, director of electionline.org, the national, non-partisan, non-advocacy web site providing news and analysis on election reform.
- While the deadline for implementing HAVA was the 2006 federal election, the challenges are greater and more complex than anticipated and states continue to work on an expanded HAVA agenda.
- About 50% of the states have or require Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT pronounced Veepat) and Congress seems to be moving toward a national requirement. Problems include defining if machine or paper determines election outcome; reducing risk factors in reliability of machine function; and instituting audit of machine performance.
- New Jersey is not alone in not completing the required Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS) by 2006. State-county relationships and people management are important factors in achieving SVRS and other HAVA goals.
Anne Milgram, first assistant New Jersey attorney general. (In New Jersey, the Division of Elections is part of the Department of Law and Public Safety under the attorney general.)
- Collaboration between state and counties will result in completing the Statewide Voter Registration System by this June's primary as required by the federal Stipulation and Order.
- State statute requires VVPAT machines in place by January 1, 2008. New Jersey is currently working towards meeting this deadline.
- New Jersey is also working to increase accessibility to the polls for the disabled, reviewing the certification process for voting machines, and continuing to train election officials and administrators.
From the Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University
Sensible Energy
Natural Resources Committee, LWVNJ
The good news is that there is no energy crisis or shortage of electricity for the moment. But recent events in California and on September 11, 2001 were a wake-up call to all Americans to take personal responsibility for putting a smarter energy policy in place.
What can one person do? Adopt the conservation way of using electricity.
Not only does lessening the amount of energy we use avert crises, it also protects our health and the health of the environment. Most utility companies that supply electricity to New Jersey burn coal to produce that power, and that combustion results in the emission of sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxides into the atmosphere. These chemicals cause smog and create acid rain, which damages the health of humans and aquatic life. Nitrous oxide is a major cause of global warming and leads to nutrient-loading in rivers, lakes and estuaries. The neurotoxin, mercury, is also released from burning coal. It accumulates in the fatty tissues of fish and those who eat them.
Then there is the matter of national self-reliance and preservation of our pristine treasures. Saving energy reduces the immediate pressure for additional, extensive oil and gas drilling in the lower forty-eight and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Even better, saving energy decreases our dependence on foreign oil and on the countries who sell it to us.
Saving energy is easy. Energy conservation starts at home and in our local communities. There are many ways each of us can help. Following are Energy Saving Tips for suggestions to improve energy efficiency at home and in our businesses and schools. Many small changes in our personal behavior will have a large cumulative impact in New Jersey, in America, and around the world.
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Action
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Average annual CO2 reduction*
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- Turn lights off when they are not needed.
- Reduce light levels whenever there is more light than is needed.
- Install more efficient lights, such as new fluorescent fixtures, and new controls.
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with compact fluorescent bulbs:
about 500 lbs. per bulb |
- Seal cracks in your home with caulking and weather-stripping.
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up to 1,000 lbs. |
- Cover window air conditioners in cold weather.
- Close chimney flues, when not in use.
- Add building insulation.
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up to 2,000 lbs |
- Buy storm windows or buy new energy-efficient windows.
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with best energy-savings windows:
up to 10,000 lbs. |
- Plant shade trees around your home.
- For heating, set thermostats lower.
- For cooling, set thermostats higher.
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about 500 lbs. for each 2 degrees adjustment. |
- Use programmable thermostats.
- Replace filters regularly.
- Keep furnaces and air conditioners regularly maintained.
- Install insulation on the hot water storage tank, if older than five years old, and distribution pipes.
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about 5,000 lbs. |
- Reduce the temperature of the water.
- Install low-flow showerheads and flow restrictors, and aerators in sink faucets.
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for low-flow showerheads: up to 300 lbs. |
- Research ways to conserve energy, from no-cost or low-cost operation and maintenance activities, to retrofits, to new construction.
- Energy Star appliances, heating and cooling equipment, lighting, roofing and window products are the most energy-efficient products available.
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Log onto the web site: http://www.energystar.gov |
- Walk, bike, carpool or use mass transit.
- Buy fuel-efficient cars that get at least 30 miles per gallon of gasoline.
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20 lbs. for each gallon of gasoline saved. |
*Source of the average annual CO2 reductions: Special Report: "Global Warming," Time, April 9, 2001, p.39.
Poverty in New Jersey
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Supplementary Survey
Who Can Afford Housing in New Jersey?
When the housing wage is $37,175 per year in New Jersey, then a two bedroom apartment is out of reach for
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Occupation
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Mean
Wage
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Number of People Employed in this job
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| Retail Salespersons |
$20,530 |
117,000 |
| Office Clerks |
$22,714 |
93,700 |
| Cashiers |
$16,411 |
87,800 |
| Janitors |
$20,030 |
75,000 |
| Waiters & Waitresses |
$13,062 |
53,400 |
| Receptionists |
$21,091 |
44,800 |
| Packers & Packagers |
$16,578 |
41,200 |
| Retail Stock Clerks |
$18,346 |
40,400 |
| Nursing Aides |
$20,654 |
40,400 |
| Food Preparation |
$16,307 |
36,900 |
| Fast Food Workers |
$13,686 |
35,100 |
| Guards |
$19,594 |
32,600 |
| Freight Movers |
$21,632 |
31,500 |
| Assemblers & Fabricators |
$20,946 |
28,900 |
| Warehouse Stock Clerks |
$22,443 |
24,600 |
| Telemarketers |
$19,739 |
24,500 |
| Maids & Housekeeping |
$16,078 |
22,500 |
| Child Care Workers |
$16,786 |
22,500 |
| Home Health Aides |
$17,784 |
22,200 |
| Hairstylists |
$17,326 |
21,700 |
| Groundskeepers |
$21,133 |
20,900 |
| Word Processors |
$24,710 |
18,500 |
| Restaurant Cooks |
$20,696 |
17,900 |
| Bank Tellers |
$18,699 |
16,200 |
Source: NJ Department of Labor and the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey
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