Tag Archives: politics

Cast Your Vote!, Garden State Living

Midterm Elections: Vote!

Hey #HipNJ! Are  you registered to vote? Remember that your opinion DOES count and just one vote goes a very long way, so go out and VOTE VOTE VOTE!

People often dismiss the midterm elections, believing that they aren’t as important as the presidency, but I’m here to tell you that those people are WRONG. This election determines who will be taking the seats in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. In the State, 1 of the Senate seats are up for grabs, along with all 12 of the House seats. 

The U.S. Senate election has been a close one with Democrat Robert Menendez of Paramus and Republican Bob Hugin of Summit. This race is important because the Senate chamber helps write federal laws and confirms all judges and other presidential nominees. 

 The state has two open House seats, in South Jersey’s 2nd District, where Republican Rep. Frank LoBiondo is retiring, and in North Jersey’s 11th District, where Republican Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen is retiring.

In the 11th District, we have Democrat Mikie Sherrill vs. Republican Jay Webber, with polls showing Sherrill having a slight advantage currently. In the 2nd District, there’s Republican Seth Grossman vs. Democrat Jeff Van Drew, with polls showing Van Drew leading by double digits. 

Remember, if you want to make a difference, go out and vote. It counts. It matters. It’s your right. 

A Country Divided by Yard Signs
Garden State Living

A Country Divided by Yard Signs

Some people may feel that the 2016 presidential campaign yard signs have just been taken down, but people are already starting to see clusters of new signs pop up as we near the mid-terms later in the year.

Leading custom business signage and décor company, Sheildco, decided to conduct a survey of 3,000 Americans to find out exactly what we think about yard signs, and in particular, our neighbors’ signs.

Shockingly, ShieldCo’s survey revealed that 30.4% of Americans. 1 in 3 people would be irritated if their neighbor put up a political yard sign. Out of all 50 states, it is California people, with a huge 49% saying they would be irritated if a neighbor erected one. So you may get an earful from a neighbor if you put up a sign in the Golden State!

Closely following are people of The Garden State – a strong 42.9% of New Jersey people find their neighbors’ signs irritating and annoying. They are actually the 4th least tolerant in the country when it comes to their neighbors’ expressing their political views with yard signs. Regardless, the survey does show that the majority of New Jerseyans, whether Republican or Democrat, must be of the belief that everyone should have the right to express their opinion.

Because of yard signs, bumper stickers or fury-inducing Facebook statuses, it seems most of us are aware of neighbors’ party affiliations. In fact, 85.8% of those surveyed said they know their neighbor’s political views – useful information for avoiding awkward conversations!

Luke Markey at ShieldCo commented on the survey results saying, “While some people limit the political discourse to the dinner table, others prefer to be more vocal with their opinions – often in the form of political yard signs. However, our survey shows that nearly 1 in 3 Americans would be irritated if their neighbor put up a political yard sign, even though 45.4% of Americans don’t believe that they have the ability to influence an election in favor of a candidate or party. More importantly, over half of us are unaware that each state has particular laws regarding the use of political yard signs. It’s imperative you familiarise yourself with the rules for political yard signs in your state before putting them up, or you could end up breaking the law as well as irritating your neighbors!”

Political Signage Infographic Here

Garden State Living

Style and Activism Unite at New Jersey Young Democrats Black Panther Movie Premiere

Politics and pop culture intersected last Thursday at the New Jersey Young Democrats Black Caucus movie premiere event. The Black-Tie affair and fundraiser commemorated the new Marvel Comics superhero film, Black Panther, with an exclusive preview screening in Newark. #HipNJ recognizes the timely event that unites style, pop culture and activism.

 The screening held on February 15th gave viewers an exclusive look at the critically-acclaimed film before the public release. CityPlex12, a theatre co-owned by Newark native Shaquille O’Neal, hosted the night’s festivities.

NJYD Black Caucus President, Keith Jones II, describes the night that honored the historical pop culture moment. “You could feel the energy in the room last night” describes Jones, “It felt like a celebration of our culture, a moment of pride and unity, and culminated in excitement about the genuine representations of people of African descent we’d get to see on screen.  With everything that is going on in the world, particularly in these last few days, it was nice to experience something that would lift our spirits, even for just a few hours”.

Attendees from all over New Jersey came out dressed to impress in formal wear and outfits inspired by traditional African clothing.

The NJYD Black Caucus is an offshoot from the New Jersey Young Democrats organization. Their ambition is to utilize education as a means of motivating young voters into becoming more politically active.