Democrats keep hold on Princeton

Princeton Borough and Township voters reelected local Democrats across the board yesterday, though some student voters had difficulty voting because of registration and districting issues.

Borough Council members Roger Martindell and Andrew Koontz more than doubled their opponents' vote counts. Mayor Phyllis Marchand and Lance Liverman retained their seats on the Township Committee.

On the state level, Democratic state Senator Shirley Turner beat Republican Bob Martin. Democrats Reed Gusciora and Bonnie Watson Coleman together captured over 65 percent of the vote for state assembly, defeating Republican challengers.

Turnout among Princeton students was low, and obstacles faced by student voters this election cycle may foreshadow greater problems during the presidential primaries this February.

Borough Election Officer Arch Davis '69 said that "at least 50 percent of voters are not changing their address correctly" and predicted "major problems" in February.

"There is going to be a backup all the way to the street," he said, warning that "many peoples' votes may not count."

Students who had the biggest problems yesterday were those who moved from dorms down campus to ones up campus while failing to update their voter registration, since southern dorms are in the Township, whereas northern ones are in the Borough.

One notable example of a misregistered student was Joseph Codega '09, who ran for Borough Council as a Republican. Since Codega lives in E223 South Baker Hall in Whitman College, he is a resident of the Township.

Borough clerk Andrea Lee Quinty said that Codega's address is listed as 132 Clapp Hall in his voter registration file. Quinty explained that a Township resident would "absolutely not" be allowed to vote or run in the Borough.

"It was his responsibility to change his address with the Superintendent of Elections," Quinty said.

Codega and others affiliated with his campaign did not respond to requests for comment.

Many other students had problems with their registration. At least 11 students voting in the Borough needed to fill out provisional ballots due to incorrect registration.

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Davis, the election officer, said that most of the time "provisional ballots get locked up in a basement and never looked at."

Ciccy Yang '09, who lived in Butler College last year and now lives in Spelman Hall, said that she filled out a change of address card, but that she still was not put on the rolls in the Borough.

"I went through a certain amount of effort to come up here, and to say that probably it didn't count at all is disappointing to say the least," she said.

Steve Marcus '10 was not as dismayed with his lack of registration. "Filling out a provisional ballot is better than not voting. At the end of the day I feel better about myself," he said.

According to a rough estimate from election officials at each of the polling places, about 82 students turned up to vote, 15 in the Township and 67 in the Borough.

As of 10:31 p.m., the Mercer County Clerk reported that the tally in the Borough was 1,013 votes for Koontz, 1,076 votes for Martindell, 595 votes for Republican Linda Sipprelle and 401 votes for Codega.

In the Township, Marchand and Liverman garnered 2,100 and 2,079 votes, respectively. Republicans Cindy Randazzo received 1,215 votes, and Esther Mills received 1,200.

Plans for next year

Martindell said that one of his top priorities this year will be fighting New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram's order to police to ask suspects charged with an indictable offense for their immigration status.

"I think it's a huge mistake and dangerous for the entire community, and I intend to do whatever I can to limit that order," he said.

Martindell also told The Daily Princetonian that he plans to continue his "streak of financial conservatism" and "limit the role of government in the lives of individual people."

Koontz plans to focus on cleaning up the Borough's public parks. "We have a lot of neighborhood parks, and quite a few of them are pretty debilitated," Koontz said, adding that he is working with the Township to build a skate park that could be used by University students.

Marchand's goals include building affordable housing for senior citizens, reducing property taxes and continuing the Township's deer sharpshooting program.