Knock knock, democracy’s calling: Inside the NJ Million Voter Project

Graphic credit: Renee Johnston for Public Square Amplified

Newark, NJ - New Jersey is heading into one of the most consequential elections in its recent history. In November, voters will choose a new governor and reshape the state Legislature. But for many residents, especially in communities of color, immigrant neighborhoods, and working-class towns, politics is often . The Million Voter Project (MVP) New Jersey aims to change that.

The MVP NJ is a non-partisan coalition of community-based organizations, labor unions, and faith groups, united around a common goal: to engage, empower, and mobilize voters who are often left on the margins of the political conversation.

“The inspiration behind joining the Million Voter Project was to really reach out to those Latino residents in the state to discuss with them any concerns they may have in general in NJ—and to see if they knew there was an upcoming election,” explains Victor Polanco, an Outreach Specialist at the Latino Action Network. “Residents tend to forget that there are a handful of different types of elections that occur.”

Their approach is rooted in deep organizing. That means door-to-door conversations, phone calls, text outreach, and community meetings designed not just to inform, but to build relationships. By prioritizing direct contact, the project aims to create space for voters to share their concerns, hopes, and expectations—and to make sure those voices are reflected in New Jersey’s political future.

On a typical day of canvassing, volunteers sign up through an online platform like mobilize.us, receiving location details, weather forecasts, and scripts in advance. On the day, participants meet to discuss strategies, receive training, and pair up for safety. Equipped with multilingual resources, canvassers use apps like MiniVAN to efficiently navigate neighborhoods, knocking on doors, and engaging voters in meaningful conversations. After canvassing, volunteers regroup for a debrief, ensuring continuous improvement and community connection.

“We're not just coming into these communities and telling them, ‘You need to vote because x, y, z,’” says Danielle Iwata, Director of Organizing at AAPI New Jersey, one of the community organizations of the NJ MVP. “We want it to be conversational and trust-building. We want them to know that they're valued and that their voices—not just at the polls—matter.”

According to Iwata, the significance of New Jersey’s election is heightened by its timing and potential implications for the national political landscape. “We are one of two states in the current country that have a gubernatorial election,” she explains. “These are the first major elections since the Trump administration won in the fall. This is going to be a really strong indicator of the trends that we were seeing in the fall, and also what's to come.”

Pictured: Lawrence Hamm. (Photo credit: Andy Richards)

For Victor Polanco, the shifting political climate has made the work of outreach even more urgent. “We are taking a hit from the constant changes happening at the moment, but we always adjust and fight,” he says. “2025 is a difficult initial start of the year just because we have to adjust to the current president’s orders and everything else happening. But that doesn't mean we surrender. We've been in existence for a couple of years to earn the respect and trust from our community, and they know we will continue to be the voice of change and support.

Additionally, a key structural change that could significantly impact voter representation in New Jersey is the abolition of the "county line" system, which historically advantaged White  candidates "The party chairs basically had all of the power," Iwata says. "Whoever had the party endorsement was listed in the same column. And if you didn't have your party endorsement, you were all the way in the corner, in what we call ballot Siberia. The line obviously favored white candidates, and communities of color were heavily disadvantaged by the system. It was finally abolished just last year."

Iwanta and other members of the NJ MVP also advocate for policy reforms like the New Jersey John Lewis Voter Empowerment Act, previously known as the New Jersey Voting Rights Act. "This would provide a number of protections for voters," Iwata says. "Most importantly to Asian communities, it would decrease the threshold for populations to get a ballot in their language. Right now, we only have Gujarati in Middlesex County and Korean in Bergen County. If this threshold gets lowered, we're talking about adding languages like Chinese, Tagalog, and Arabic in some communities." The act would also address other barriers, such as arbitrary voter registration deadlines and strict party declaration requirements.

Iwata’s organization specifically targets areas with high AAPI populations: Edison (Middlesex County), Fort Lee & Palisades Park (Bergen), and Jersey City (Hudson). Her efforts are informed by data showing significant outreach gaps. “In NJ, and especially among the AAPI community, there hasn't been much investment in infrastructure needed to do outreach,” she emphasizes. “National studies from the 2024 elections showed that 27% of AAPIs were not reached out to by either major party, so there was an urgent need for organizations like us to get involved.”

The Million Voter Project was spurred into action following the 2024 presidential election, during which about 4.3 million New Jersey citizens cast ballots—a 7% drop from 2020. Every county in the state saw a decrease, with several key Democratic-leaning counties, including Essex and Burlington, dropping by more than 10%. In turn, Vice President Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump by just 6 percentage points in New Jersey, down from President Biden’s 11-point margin in 2020. It was the narrowest win for a Democrat in the state in over 20 years. Political analysts say a lack of enthusiasm, especially among key Democratic constituencies, played a major role. Some voters felt disconnected or unmotivated—others, disillusioned.

The NJ MVP hopes to tackle this by focusing on issues that tend to get sidelined in mainstream political discourse but matter deeply to large segments of New Jersey’s population: economic opportunity, affordable housing, immigrant rights, and access to education and healthcare.

As Polanco points out, combating misinformation is also a major part of the work. “We address it with simple facts and stats because some people just believe everything they see in the media,” he says. “The Latino community suffers a lot from misinformation from others trying to misguide our underserved communities.”

As part of its outreach efforts, the MVP is also actively engaging candidates. “We're working on a candidate questionnaire for both gubernatorial and state assembly candidates,” Iwata says, regarding AAPI NJ. “Our entire state assembly is up, that's 40 districts, two each, over 200 candidates. We've never had this many before. We're reaching out to all of them with questions around how they are supporting Asian American constituents who face bias incidents and issues like the immigrant Trust Act, which we’re advocating for in the legislature right now."

With the 2025 election shaping up to be a test of party identities—particularly among Republicans navigating the post-Trump landscape—voter mobilization efforts like this one could play a decisive role. In a state where Democrats still hold a registration advantage, but turnout remains volatile, the real question isn’t just who’s registered—it’s who shows up. And if the Million Voter Project NJ has its way, a lot more people will.