Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Local Elections topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Civic advocate urges county outreach as fire district elections draw near; turnout ‘routinely under 2%’
Summary
Steve Soloff told Cumberland County commissioners that turnout in local fire district elections is frequently below 2%, pushing for a public information campaign, radio interviews and collaboration to boost candidate recruitment and voter awareness ahead of Feb. 21 elections.
Steve Soloff, who runs the local civic information project InformTheVoteNJ, told the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners that turnout in many fire district elections is extremely low and poses governance and public-safety risks.
"Voter turnout in fire district elections is routinely under 2%," Soloff said, noting that in some districts just 20 to 30 votes decide boards that oversee millions of dollars in assets and emergency services. He said the compressed timetable for February elections, with candidate petitions due in late January, leaves roughly two to three weeks for outreach, press coverage and voter education.
Soloff described the consequences he sees: difficulty recruiting commissioners, volunteers, firefighters and EMTs; decision-making by a very small number of voters; and an overall system that depends heavily on invisible, unpaid labor. He framed the issue as countywide because mutual aid, staffing shortages and local hospital changes affect emergency response beyond district boundaries.
To address the problem, Soloff said he plans a short public-information campaign over the coming weeks that includes radio interviews, a public information forum on how fire districts work, and direct outreach to encourage candidates and voters. "If any fire districts, municipal leaders, county officials, or community members want to collaborate ... I'm here," he said.
Why it matters: The boards that govern some fire districts control budgets, equipment purchases and staffing decisions that affect emergency response. Low participation can leave governance concentrated in very small electorates and can make mutual-aid planning and countywide emergency response more fragile.
What commissioners did: Soloff's remarks were made during the public comment period and the board did not take formal action during the meeting on his suggestions. Commissioner attendance and routine votes on the meeting agenda were recorded after public comment.
Next steps: Soloff said his outreach will precede the Feb. 21 fire district elections and he encouraged collaboration with local officials and community groups to boost turnout and candidate recruitment.
