UPDATE: Ridgewood Says Yes To Consolidated Elections, Per Totals

This story was last updated at 3:49 p.m.

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — An updated vote total from Bergen County is making it more likely that next election, Ridgewood voters will have more decisions to make.

The latest unofficial results from the county show a continued lead for the adoption of the Village's municipal question.

This comes after One Village One Vote, the Ridgewood group fighting for Board of Education and Village Council elections to be held during the General Election, claimed victory Tuesday night after Bergen County released unofficial results.

This led to One Village One Vote sending an email claiming victory, which was also posted to their website.

"The votes are in and we are excited to announce that Ridgewood voters voted “YES” on our Municipal Question. Beginning in 2021, Ridgewood will elect representatives to our non-partisan Board of Education and Village Council in November, when history has proven that the most voters turn out and have their votes counted. We will no longer have expensive, low-turnout elections for these bodies in April and May," they wrote.

The current tally is:

• Yes — 7,143
• No — 5,055

Even if the ballot question is passed, which is looking more likely as numbers continue to roll in, the fight may not be over, according to a Northjersey.com report.

Organizers of the group opposing this measure, Keep Our Vote, say the ordinance violates a state statute, and school board election logistics can only be changed by a resolution.

Bergen County reports a total of 431,951 ballots cast, but, according to the unofficial results, only absentee and early precincts have been reported so far, with 73 of 73 in. The county has yet to make an estimate on overall voter turnout.

County Clerk John S. Hogan didn't provide much of an update on Twitter Wednesday morning, stating that results would continue to be posted online.

"Unofficial results of the 2020 General Election will be posted on the Clerk's website at http://bergencountyclerk.org as we receive the results from the Board of Elections," he wrote.

How we got here

“It’s time to let the voters decide,” One Village One Vote said in early September.

The phrase was published in a message on their website following a Superior Court Judge’s decision to allow the question to appear on ballots after the Village Clerk declined their petitions multiple times.

Though Judge Estela M. De La Cruz ruled Village Clerk Heather Mailander violated the Faulkner Act by rejecting the group's second petition, Mailander told Patch she believes she was in the right.

"As Village Clerk, I am obligated to follow NJ Statutes and, as such, stand by my certification that the petition is not sufficient," said Mailander.

So, to be clear, the run-up to this moment wasn’t smooth, nor cordial, but now, the voters will indeed decide.

So what's at stake?

The proposed question would, if passed, would move Board of Education elections, held annually in April, and Village Council elections, held bi-annually in May, to the date of the General Election in November.

For One Village One Vote, pushing for consolidated elections could solve two issues they believe are problematic: voter turnout and funding.

As a point of reference, the group cites the April 2019 election, in which voters cast ballots on the Ridgewood Public School budget.

Of the 18,262 registered voters, only 2,437 turned out for that election, or 14 percent of the electorate. The election, the group says, cost taxpayers $50,000.

"At best, this election was inefficient and at worst a thoughtless waste of Village resources and taxpayer money," they said.

The Village Council voted to move school board elections back to April in 2019, which allows voters to vote on the school district's budget.

According to a 2018 Patch report, 67 percent of villagers' tax bills go to the school district.

November elections in New Jersey don't require voter approval for school budgets, unless the proposed budget increases by more than 2 percent. In April, however, votes are cast on the budget regardless of increase.

Mayor Ramon Hache, at that 2018 meeting, said the decision was about right and wrong.

"It's not about making people happy. It's about what is right; 67 percent of tax dollars is not a small decision," Hache said. "The right and privilege to vote and the choice to vote, they are not the same. What empowers voters more is whether they choose to exercise it or not."

For full coverage of 2020 elections in New Jersey, click here.