902: Latinas - 902 NJ Political System [AIR-MASTER]; Images/Imagenes

Yeah. A four part plan for national economic recovery.

The federal government. Government by the government. The legislative branch of the government is the heart in the House the Senate the branch. They are appointed by the

elect the. Two. Together. Pending. From the New Jersey congressional districts. Will be the term by nine thousand nine hundred. To reflect population. I really don't know it let's adopt a political system. This is my first year voting. I'm

not too involved with politics. I just didn't if I knew a little bit more about it I just don't think that people our age are as interested in it. They don't think it's as important until they get older. You just can't sit on the sidelines and make a comment and hold it will be acted on whereas if you talk to the person it's running. There's a very good chance that he will take your criticism or suggestions to heart and he might be able to. Have you ever write any letter to a congressman or a senator. Have you ever gotten an answer from me. That's enough people. Thinking similarly do get together they can create change. Do you think that you might make a difference or vote or even just getting involved. Yeah I think too many people are of the opinion that you know my vote doesn't count so I'm not going to bother. What is the role of an assemblyman. Let's keep up with his job the best he can. I guess the state assembly would be basically the same role concerning a state as the

House of Representatives would be considering the entire nation they make the state regulations the state rules in the state laws. The government. And the. Government.

Thank you. Work for instance in the type of creation. In lieu of approximately three hundred thirty thousand people of that population about 60 percent is black some 12 percent of it according to the Census Bureau is Hispanic and the rest of us are. White. Generally in a white population you have to tell you know the government

structure of Newark has been changed over the years from say 300 years ago where we had town meetings where decisions were made to run through the process where we had city commission for the government to what we have now which is the mayor council for the minorities usually blacks and Hispanics. I have not really had as much of an opportunity to participate until about 60 62 at which time blacks. Were able to successfully elected a commission to a city councilperson America Upson was the first nonwhite. Put it this way to be elected. Before that the administration had a talent so to speak before that had been Irish. Before that had been German and before that had been wast the typical American the progression. This is an American city that's more important

than being a black city or a Hispanic city or Italian city. The leadership is American and that's what I think we're hoping we have. Separation of powers in the city of New York. We have what we call a strong mayor type of government. Then we have a municipal council which is a legislative. Body. And then of course we have department heads food before the services but the parliament has over responsible to the mayor the mayor and the city does not sit with the city council mayors a day to day administrative head of government in the city and the City Council has what we call legislative responsibility. The best way to to describe it is this like the US Congress US Congress passes laws which are the laws of the land and then the executive branch of government. The present United States is responsible for day to day administration of the country. The city council

passes what we call resolutions and ordinances which are the city laws but they don't have the responsibility of of giving orders to department heads on how they should carry that out. I am the mayor and therefore I'm the person who gives the orders to have those directions and have the laws. And here to recount in council city council or well under a law all city council people are exactly the same. They all have one vote and that's the way you determine the power of a city council person. The power of the vote the nine city council people the nine votes cast based on who happens to be present at each meeting. There's a president of the city council who is elected by the council members themselves. In other words after they are elected they come together and reorganize organize themselves and at that time they elect a leader of the council that is the president the city council the city's elect

to use a form of government based on a referendum charter change studies. In many cases but the citizens vote. As they did in the city of New York and I think 1952 or thereabouts where they chose the form of government under which we operate right now. But each city chooses its formal government by having US citizens vote on what Charter what form they will operate. And then under the prescribed guidelines of the state of New Jersey you have the option to select one or the other of the forms of government. Could the people of New Work change the form of government. Oh yes. How would they do that anyway. Any time they chose they would have a charter review commission usually a presentation made to the citizens of New York to choose this form as opposed to that and that's the way this form of government took place. The city residents will have the opportunity to change

municipal government. And I love the city we have the commission I thought of the government the people elect the commissioners and then they are proud to lead the mayor who is going to be many of the proposed government is the council to go them maybe a council of them in this case I would use this you know the city I'm going to have the right to select the mayor I know so. Councilman we have this is going to be divided into six squads from each row we're going to have the councilman there willing to select Also three councilman that large and this way we have world we believe the people would hop more equal in my view. Solving the problem we have already collects censure from this petition you have to petition the withdrawn flow deceiving. Only the first sign

of going a step that is going to be in the bottles on November 3rd. If the people of the side that does change our globe amount then we are long distance in yeah elections a May and then for July we are going to have the new form of them. By having a hostile person. Elected from each of the various regions or words Atlantic City. Residents feel they will be better represented at the lower level. Council person with a sound assembly person at the state level or us a Congress person at the federal

level. Look people can demonstrate their interest and problems or issues by one way by visiting their city council meetings attending expressing themselves during the public hearing portion writing to their legislators and to their representatives to let them know how they feel about particular issues. As an elected official I'm a councilman in the city of Orange I know how important it is to have. The constituency come out and demonstrate. Or express their feelings and nine times out of ten it gets responded to. I really never knew about that. You know were sitting you know Maplewood whatever you know could go to a hearing and to just you know to do their views opinions or whatever or to just say what they want to say they have a problem or thought about something that. They'd like to know more about. Working our way up the next level of government

is the county which comprises of a rising number of municipalities in the state of New Jersey. There are five hundred and sixty seven municipalities by the 21 counties the governing body of the county is the board of chosen freeholders. The fife areas which counties are required to take care of. Are. The courts and law enforcement. Welfare. Education roads. And the conduct of elections. We were elected to legislate county business and that we do two things we balance off the executive branch which would be the county executive and also then of course we passed the budgets passed the resolutions the ordinances the laws of this county. And it's true that form of government that the county is able to be ruled by its representatives. You can easily run for office if you want to be a member of the

Democratic or Republican county committee. These are the people with in an election district for instance that you use your neighborhood as your polling place them the homes that are around your polling place. There are two Democrats one man and one woman and two Republicans one man and one woman who serve as the local political party officials in each of those election districts and there are some 20000 of those people around the state. There are many election districts where people don't even run for that office. That's the most basic office in our whole political structure. And all it takes to get your name on the ballot to run for that is the signature of 10 people who are registered voters in your lection district list of all the big county committee members elected every year county and state county that your numbers are supposed to respond to John Renato chairman of the Essex County Republican retreat and he explained the role of the committee members and the search job to see that these people come out to vote

in a primary cause they have to go out make sure they contact every Republican that they can have one vote a primary for the candidate. In the general course is their job to try to come in contact all of voters in their respective districts so that we can bring the biggest percentage of voters out that we can have for a candidate in order to reach as many voters and distribute information about candidates in their party committees. Many volunteers working for the committees that people can also participate in their political system are volunteers or gotten one of several ways they can either run they either get them through a telephone calls they make and asked Would you like to volunteer to help us or when you have a function where you have regular registration day you'll set up a stand you set up a desk you'll have cards and you'll say you know would you like to volunteer services for the Republican Party and if they say yes you take an imagined telephone number. And just before the time. Horizon writes that you want him to work for you.

You get a telephone call from a cord and say Would you please come to a meeting or would you please come to a function that we're having so that we can discuss the role that you play in the campaign that we are all volunteers for Florio for governor and we're here because it is important and I know how important it is to have people willing to give their time voluntarily to fill envelopes and address to stuff envelopes address envelopes and get the material and information out to the voters. Are you going to me and you feel it's the best candidate for governor of your state you should come out and work for him. That's why I'm here. This is the first time that I can say that I'm politically involved. I was asked personally to come down here to help after a few hours and I thought what better way to come down to help out and. Do some political courses but I didn't you know do anything active. And I think this is a good way to finally find out what's really going on.

New Jersey residents can also participate in the political process by joining community organizations such as the League of Women Voters purpose as a league is to encourage the active and informed participation of all citizens in government. And to that extent the league tries very hard to bring information on candidates on issues before the people. To bring them information on government itself how it works and how they can become involved. Do you see pressure groups. Sometimes yes the we can be a pressure group when we strongly believe. That government is heading in a wrong direction. Some of the weakening of the controls in the Clean Air Act. The league is very strongly upset about and we have urged our members to write letters to write letters to the editor write to your congressman

make a phone call send a telegram let them know where you stand and what you believe should be done. Yes in their respect we can act as a pressure group but only after lengthy study and follow of our membership. We are not allowed to take any position on anything without the authorization of a full vote of our membership in New Jersey. The state legislature is the source of all governmental authority. Them ons of power held by a local government varies with the state depending on whether or not it's a home rule. Home rule refers to local governments receiving their powers directly from the state constitution and not the pending on the state legislation for the authority. New Jersey therefore is not a home rule state. At the state level the governing bodies are the governor the state assembly and the state Senate. Together are the chief policy makers of the state.

This assembly and the Senate joint are known as the state legislature. Each district elects one senator every four years and to Assemblyman every two years all seats are up for election this year. This is an extremely significant election for New Jersey. In fact we will not see another election like this one for 12 years and that's because of the coincidence that we are electing both a new governor and the entire state legislature the assembly and the Senate at the statewide level. There will be a number of ballot questions. There are three questions for instance where the voters are asked should we have me and the state constitution. And then there are a number of bond issues which will also be on the ballot. These things will be questions statewide but. Of equal significance in my judgment of the local races to get the state of New Jersey every year it's election year and not just once a year. New Jersey every November has a major election

every year. We have legislative elections every Even year we have congressional elections. There is no non-election year in the state. When we asked Mr. Neal up my year what is the expected turnout of voters for November 3rd he expressed will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 percent of those people who are registered to vote. And that translates into something in the neighborhood of 2 million people who will go to the polls on November 4. In this graphic we can see how voters turnout varies according to the type of elections the highest turnout rate occurs during presidential elections like in 1964 and 1980 with an average of 85 percent of registered voters. On the other hand the lowest turnout rate occurs during a state legislature elections with an average of 64 percent.

It is important to note that at the state and local level in which resistance can have a more direct participation is where we find in there was voter turnout. These are anyway that the school system could educate children since their era gauges. Well I think that that in the loan over the long run is a critical element in turning around this pattern of not just age the young people as a as a group. For instance in the age brackets of 18 to 25. The likelihood of anybody in that group voting is only one in five. At the opposite end of the age scale those 60 and over. It's that the percentage is exactly the opposite. It's an 80 percent likelihood that those people will vote. It's logical I think why that happens in that the older you get the more you realize that you have some stake in governmental decisions.

You're you own a home pay taxes you have kids and school friends and younger voters don't have any of those ties to government. Therefore they don't see the relationship between their participation and governmental decision making. I think in many in many cases we're combating and apathy among the older people among the parents at home and one a student goes home when they're 16 17 18 years of age and tries to discuss with mom and dad they're fighting their natural desire to be considered an adult and if that means scoffing at politicians or the difference in parties then maybe that's the easy way to go but when you you reach these young people when they're there at a very early age when the enthusiasm is there when they're not intimidated because it's an adult voicing an opposing opinion then I think they carry their enthusiasm home

and if nothing else. If there is knowledgeable as these young people what I worked with they're going to stimulate mom and dad to at least read the newspapers and find out what's going on so they know as much as their 10 year old son or daughter know well what. It will. Look the fact is that they're afraid to reduce illegal. You know what. This is so recent is a wolf by registering. You don't put your name on a list for jury duty on the list. Yes but that's not the only source of names for jury duty any longer. If you wish to avoid jury duty in a state then don't drive a car. Maybe they're just afraid to get involved and really say what they mean. The media shouldn't get more of the issues and show the people why they should get out and vote for who they feel will do something about the issues always enough

information the trouble is the campaigns can always get to every person. So these people should take time to get up and get it themselves rather than just sit around and wait for it. That's a misuse and they don't expect a voting booth brought to them if they are not a choose not to be but I think the information that they will get from the media is there is for them to acknowledge and to use and if they choose not to use it it's you know that means that no matter what you give to them they're not going to use it. Because when I'm never on television station I think that. We get decent coverage in the newspapers but not sufficient coverage on television because we are. New York and Philadelphia living in the United States means being able to participate in the political process. This program was designed to give you an overview of the system and the many ways in which you come participate. For more information you can call me in the South Jersey area. I react called 6 0 9 0 9 2 5 2 5 0 0 you called

me in north Jersey. I had to go 1 6 4 8 3 6 3 0. But we don't really run northbound and there will be you know of the year I don't know for sure but I. Got a lot of lunches on a little board. But not sufficient coverage on television because we were like New York and Philadelphia.

Living in the United States means being able to participate in the political process. This program was designed to give you an overview. Counsel her son.