New Jersey has an election for governor this November, and for the first time in 12 years, there’s no incumbent in the race. There are, however, plenty of important issues, from education and taxes to jobs. This election is a critical moment for the future of New Jersey, but it comes at a time when it is hard to hold productive conversations about political issues. That’s why we’re happy to announce that MyVeronaNJ.com has been asked to be part of a project to make these conversations easier by getting people to talk over a good meal.
It’s called Voting Block, and it is a collaborative reporting project sponsored by the Center for Cooperative Media and the Center for Investigative Reporting. As part of it, MyVeronaNJ.com has been asked to gather a small group of neighbors from a single block for a discussion about the governor’s race and the most important issues for these neighbors. Linden Avenue is the longest residential block in Verona, so we decided to make it our block. Linden residents of all political stripes can ask to be chosen as our dinner guests.
Linden residents chosen for Voting Block, will be invited to a dinner in late September or early October. At it, we’ll ask you to discuss the issues with other guests. Our job will be to write stories about the discussion: You’ll be quoted by name and you need to agree to be photographed and videotaped. Voting Block stories will appear on MyVeronaNJ.com and will be shared with other statewide media organizations.
To participate, you must:
- Live on Linden Avenue
- Be a registered voter
- Be available for dinner
- Agree to be quoted, photographed and videotaped
- Agree to a civil discussion
Participation is open to registered voters of all political affiliation, but no current candidate for any state office may attend. There are a limited number of spots. To ask for a seat at the table, please fill out this form. (MyVeronaNJ.com will not share your responses or contact information.)
This story is part of the Voting Block series and was produced in collaboration with The Record, NJ Spotlight, WHYY, WNYC, Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting, the Center for Cooperative Media and New America Media. To read all the stories in this series, visit VotingBlockNJ.com.
