Safety concerns have made it impossible to keep schools open on election days when they serve as polling places. Because the public must be allowed into the building, Montclair Public Schools’ security vendor will not provide coverage—the volume of voters makes it too difficult to ensure student safety.

As a result, schools must close every election day, creating major disruptions for families. Parents must secure alternative childcare, and many struggle to get to work or to the polls. In New Jersey, with at least one primary and one general election each year—plus nonpartisan municipal elections every four years, and occasional special elections—these repeated closures impose serious burdens, including lost wages, childcare costs, and an extended school year to meet the state’s 180-day requirement.

Montclair has many ADA-accessible buildings that can serve as polling places instead. The Board of Education has identified 18 viable alternatives, including churches, libraries, social clubs, municipal facilities, the Montclair Art Museum, a county-run community center, and the fire department headquarters.

We urge the Essex County Board of Elections to relocate polling places out of school buildings, beginning with the New Jersey 11th Congressional District special elections on February 5 and April 16, 2026. We also urge the Montclair Township Council and the Essex County Commissioners to support this petition.

Transitioning away from schools as polling locations is both feasible and beneficial. It reduces disruptions for families, makes it easier for parents and caretakers to vote, and allows schools to focus on their core mission—educating our children.