As voters across the country choose candidates with a D or R next to their names, West Windsor residents are voting to decide whether to let their local candidates run under a party banner.
The Mercer County town counts itself as one of the about 20% of New Jersey municipalities still operating nonpartisan local elections, according to a pro-nonpartisan group. Depending on who you ask, the nonpartisan system is either a “political oasis” amid rising partisan tensions or an “unclear” and “dated” system that leaves voters in the dark.
On Nov. 5, residents will vote on a referendum to determine whether West Windsor will keep its status as a nonpartisan town or switch to partisan elections and add a June primary. The reform wouldn’t change the town’s form of government, but it could bolster opportunities for Democrats in a town where Republicans account for about 12% of the electorate.
In the buildup to the referendum, two rivaling organizations have formed, each insisting that they are the true proponents of transparency, voter empowerment, and grassroots engagement.
The group behind the push for partisan elections, West Windsor Voters for Transparency and Representation, said it garnered more than 1,500 signatures from residents for the ballot measure, though signatures don’t always convert to votes. The group argues on its website that a candidate’s partisan identity is vital information voters use to guide their decision in any other election.
“This change is not merely overdue; it is essential for a thriving democracy,” YZ Zhang, a former West Windsor councilman and chair of the group’s petitioner committee, said in a statement. “The strong grassroots support we’ve seen highlights our community’s dedication to accountability and informed choices.”
In addition to any grassroots support the group may have, it’s also received critical institutional support. Mercer County Executive Dan Benson, a Democrat, spoke at an event calling for partisan elections, and filings show a committee with ties to Benson donated $2,500 to the effort.
Janice Mironov, the mayor of East Windsor and the chair of the Mercer County Democratic Committee, spoke at the same event but told Patch that she did not speak on the West Windsor ballot question, but instead addressed national politics and a local dispute over a warehouse.
The campaign’s top donor is Iron Workers Local 399, former Senate President Steve Sweeney’s longtime union in South Jersey. The union donated $5,000 to the cause.
Leaders of the rival faction, Keep West Windsor NonPartisan, said Democratic bosses are trying to consolidate power in West Windsor, where 44% of voters are unaffiliated and 43% are registered as Democrats. Joe Charles, the group’s vice chair, said the issue isn’t transparency, but the fact that nonpartisan campaigns allow for the election of Republicans in the town.
Charles said West Windsor Mayor Hemant Marathe is a Republican and that opponents are trying to make it a “referendum on the mayor.” But Charles said most national political issues don’t come up in the administration of a town like West Windsor and a candidate’s vision for the town should take precedence.
“If it’s super important to somebody to know what somebody’s political affiliation is at the national level, you can find that, right?” Charles said in an interview. “To me, we’re not solving big national issues [in West Windsor].”
Leaders of West Windsor for Representation dispute that claim.
“It is a misconception that political values and party platforms, with ideologies, do not influence policies on budgeting, land use, social services, safety, and more in ‘nonpartisan’ towns — they do!” the group’s site says. “Hiding party affiliations does not suddenly make governance apolitical or unbiased.”
Ben Finkelstein, who coordinates West Windsor for Representation’s volunteers and a former town council candidate, said issues like abortion may not be pertinent on a municipal level, but partisan beliefs affect attitudes toward land use and social services.
“There was something clear that was missing on the ballot, which was something that we see and voters expect to see on the ballot,” Finkelstein said. “They see it for Congress. They see it for the president. There’s no reason that they shouldn’t see this fundamental information.”
West Windsor for Representation also claims that a change to partisan elections would increase voter engagement and turnout — they say West Windsor’s 26.7% turnout last year was lower than nearby towns with partisan elections.
“We want the voters to vote for candidates that best reflect their belief systems and when voters sit something out because they don’t know enough about a candidate, that is a huge disservice to not only the voters themselves, but also the democratic process,” Finkelstein said.
Anti-partisan advocates consider the referendum outside meddling from the “political machine.” Charles said partisan elections would make it nearly impossible for independent candidates to gain steam. His group’s fact sheet points to a series of noncompetitive elections in Mercer County’s partisan towns: Of 57 officials in partisan towns, none are independent; in eight municipal primaries this year, none were contested; only one town, Hopewell, features an opposition candidate in the general election.
Charles said the arguments over transparency are misleading voters to distract from a push for “single-party rule.” Finkelstein, from the opposing faction, said single-party rule is “the last thing we want.”
“In those other towns, Republicans don’t bother putting a candidate up, right?” Charles said. “Because they know they’re not going to win because people will just go to the polls and pull the lever for Democrats.”
Charles said he’s always been an unaffiliated voter and had never really involved himself in a political cause until he learned about the effort to implement partisan elections. Now, he finds himself knocking on doors.
“It’s 100% a blatant power grab for anybody who is educated about the issue and understands what’s going on,” he said.
Updated: This article has been updated to include comment from Ben Finkelstein.