Demand for Reforms Come After Election Debacle in Trenton
A day that was meant to be smooth-sailing in the realm of democracy quickly took a complete 180. Following a day filled with technical issues during Midterm Elections on Nov. 8, county executive Brian Hughes of Mercer County is calling for reforms for local elections.
“After issues in the last two elections, I have come to the conclusion that we must fundamentally change the management of the election process in Mercer County because it is clearly not working,” said Hughes. “There are legal limits to what I can do as County Executive but rest assured that I will do everything within my power to ensure the integrity of elections in Mercer County and will tolerate nothing less.”
Tuesday’s statement comes after a series of disastrous events during voting day like missing voting ballots and a series of broken voting machines. According to NJ.com, the Dominion voting machines being used to count paper ballots began to refuse them. This forced voters to fill their ballots out with sharpies, placing them in a specific “emergency slot” in said machines.
These types of damaging situations add fuel to the fire and may further the narrative of those who believe elections were miscounted or stolen back in 2020.
Because of these occurrences, Hughes is proposing a plan that will reform elections from this point forward, allowing the community to trust in the system and elected officials making crucial decisions.
His plan consists of holding Commissioner Board meetings with officials to discuss where everything went south, merging the Office of the Superintendent and Board into one entity to allow a singular Executive Director to oversee elections.
“I pledge to you that we will get to the bottom of this and that every vote will be counted,” said Hughes. “I have listened to the people of Mercer County and have spoken with election officials, and we are committed to finding out how we can improve the election process and to prevent future incidents as the one on Election Day.”
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Trenton Historical Society to Hold 17th “Stop the Wrecking Ball” to Preserve Trenton
After a three year hiatus, The Trenton Historical Society is holding its 17th “Stop the Wrecking Ball” event in order to preserve historical architecture that is housed here in Trenton on Saturday, Nov. 19.
This year, the Trenton Historical Society will host the fundraising event at the new headquarters of Princeton Hydro in the nearby Wire Rope District. Guests will be able to travel back in time, even for a moment, with a behind-the-scenes tour of the property.
The event will consist of catered food, live music, and a silent auction Trenton antiques. The event takes place at 6 p.m. until 9 p.m.
For more information and tickets, visit https://trentonhistory.org/about/events/.
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The Henry J. Austin Health Center to Hold Event for Free Eye Exams for Trenton Youth
The Henry J. Austin Health Center (HJAHC) is holding their partnership campaign with Vision to Learn called “A Vision for Trenton Youth” on Nov. 18 in order to provide Trenton Public School students with free vision screenings, eye exams, and prescription eyeglasses.
“Students that attend Trenton Public Schools are faced daily with barriers to learning due to affordability of basic needs and other environmental factors. Vision should never be an obstacle to student learning, which sadly enough occurs too often,” said Parent Coordinator and Homeless Liaison Denise Kreiss. “Many of our students cannot afford to pay for a comprehensive vision screening or better yet have enough money to purchase prescription glasses.”
The HJAHC is hoping to provide 12,000 students in Trenton Public Schools with the ability to receive prescription glasses to ensure the health, wellness, and success of students in the Capital city. The first pop-up student art gallery fundraiser will take place at Labyrinth Books from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., located at 122 Nassau Street in Princeton, NJ.
If you’re a local Trenton artist that would like to donate art for their cause, register at www.henryjaustin.org/register-artworks-exhibition.
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This Week’s Weather
This week will have partly cloudy conditions with a high of 50° and a low of 21°. This week we’re having cloudy conditions with scattered showers on Tuesday and Wednesday. Make sure you bring an umbrella! But, if you’re looking to do something this weekend, you’re good to go as it will be partly sunny, but bundle up! For this week’s weather forecast, click here.
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