Editing Elizabeth, New Jersey (section)

==Government==
[[File:Elizabeth City Hall.jpg|thumb|City Hall, [[Eggers & Higgins]], architects, 1940.<ref>''American City'' 1941: 23.</ref>]]

===Local government===
The City of Elizabeth is governed within the [[Faulkner Act]], formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the [[Faulkner Act (mayor–council)|Mayor-Council]] system of municipal government. The city is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government.<ref>[https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/inventory_of_municipal_forms_of_government_in_new_jersey.pdf ''Inventory of Municipal Forms of Government in New Jersey''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601184216/https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/inventory_of_municipal_forms_of_government_in_new_jersey.pdf |date=June 1, 2023 }}, [[Rutgers University]] Center for Government Studies, July 1, 2011. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref> The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the City Council. The Elizabeth City Council includes nine members, who are elected to serve four-year terms of office on a staggered basis with elections held in even-numbered years. The mayor and the three council members elected [[at-large]] come up for election together in leap years and two years later the six members who are elected from each of Elizabeth's six [[Ward (United States)|wards]] are all up for election.<ref name=DataBook>''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'', [[Rutgers University]] [[Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy]], March 2013, p. 90.</ref><ref>[https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/forms_of_municipal_government_in_new_jersey_9220.pdf#page=10 "Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604040836/https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/forms_of_municipal_government_in_new_jersey_9220.pdf#page=10 |date=June 4, 2023 }}, p. 10. [[Rutgers University]] Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref>

{{As of|2025}}, the city's Mayor is [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] [[Chris Bollwage]], a lifelong resident of Elizabeth who is serving his ninth term as Mayor, serving a term of office that ends December 31, 2028.<ref name=Mayor>[https://www.elizabethnj.org/271/Our-Mayor Our Mayor] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731001210/https://www.elizabethnj.org/271/Our-Mayor |date=July 31, 2020}}, City of Elizabeth. Accessed February 20, 2024.</ref> City Council members are Council President Carlos Cedeño (Fourth Ward; D, 2026),  Frank J. Cuesta (at-large; D, 2028), William Gallman Jr. (Fifth Ward; D, 2026), Nelson Gonzalez (Second Ward; D, 2026), Manny Grova Jr. (at-large; D, 2028), Kevin Kiniery (Third Ward; D, 2026), Frank O. Mazza (Sixth Ward; D, 2026), Patricia Perkins-Auguste (at-large; D, 2028), and Carlos L. Torres (First Ward; D, 2026).<ref>[https://www.elizabethnj.org/215/City-Council City Council] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731005631/https://www.elizabethnj.org/215/City-Council |date=July 31, 2020 }}, City of Elizabeth. Accessed February 20, 2024.</ref><ref name=UnionOfficials>[http://www.unioncountyvotes.com/elected-officials/ ''Union County Elected Officials''], [[Union County, New Jersey]] Clerk. Accessed January 18, 2025.</ref><ref name=Union2024>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Union/122834/web.345435/#/summary General Election November 5, 2024 Official Results], [[Union County, New Jersey]], updated November 22, 2024. Accessed January 18, 2025.</ref><ref name=Union2022>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Union/116135/web.303253/#/summary General Election November 8, 2022 Official Results], [[Union County, New Jersey]], updated November 21, 2022. Accessed February 19, 2024.</ref>

Bollwage, who has served as mayor of Elizabeth since 1992, was paid an annual salary of $152,564 in 2016, placing him among the three highest-paid mayors in the state and the only mayor in Union County to earn annual compensation in excess of $100,000.<ref>Cervenka, Susanne. [http://www.app.com/story/news/investigations/data/2017/07/31/nj-mayors-6-figure-salaries/504787001/ "These NJ mayors make 6-figure salaries from taxpayers. Is yours one of them?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231001134136/https://www.app.com/story/news/investigations/data/2017/07/31/nj-mayors-6-figure-salaries/504787001/ |date=October 1, 2023 }}, ''[[Asbury Park Press]]'', July 31, 2017. Accessed October 11, 2017. "3. Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage, $160,086.... Bollwage collected $152,564 last year from Elizabeth, a 125,000-population city where he's been mayor since 1992."</ref><ref>Haydon, Tom; and Lannan, Katie. [http://www.nj.com/union/index.ssf/2015/05/position_mayor_salary_range_zero_to_over_100000_in.html "How much are Union County mayors paid?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011234028/http://www.nj.com/union/index.ssf/2015/05/position_mayor_salary_range_zero_to_over_100000_in.html |date=October 11, 2017 }}, NJ Advance Media for [[NJ.com]], May 12, 2015. Accessed October 11, 2017. "A review of mayors' salaries across Union County shows the numbers range from a low of zero to high of $148,060 for Mayor J. Christian Bollwage, the top elected official in the city of 125,800 residents, the fourth largest municipality in the state. He is the only municipal chief executive in the county making six figures."</ref>

===Federal, state and county representation===
Elizabeth is located in the 8th Congressional District<ref name=PCR2012>[https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/2012-congressional-districts/njcd-2011-plan-components-county-mcd.pdf Plan Components Report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219202014/https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/2012-congressional-districts/njcd-2011-plan-components-county-mcd.pdf |date=February 19, 2020 }}, [[New Jersey Redistricting Commission]], December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020.</ref> and is part of New Jersey's 20th state legislative district.<ref name=Districts2011>[https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/2011-legislative-districts/towns-districts.pdf Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120165412/https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/2011-legislative-districts/towns-districts.pdf |date=November 20, 2021 }}, [[New Jersey Department of State]]. Accessed February 1, 2020.</ref><ref name=LWV2019>[https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5bae63366fd2b2e5b9f87e5e/5d30f0a94a82c66427e564d2_2019_CitizensGuide.pdf ''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105221009/https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5bae63366fd2b2e5b9f87e5e/5d30f0a94a82c66427e564d2_2019_CitizensGuide.pdf |date=November 5, 2019 }}, New Jersey [[League of Women Voters]]. Accessed October 30, 2019.</ref><ref>[https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/districts/districtnumbers.asp#20 Districts by Number for 2011–2020] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714024328/https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/districts/districtnumbers.asp#20 |date=July 14, 2019 }}, [[New Jersey Legislature]]. Accessed January 6, 2013.</ref> Prior to the 2010 Census, Elizabeth had been split between the {{ushr|NJ|10|10th Congressional District}} and the {{ushr|NJ|13|13th Congressional District}}, a change made by the [[New Jersey Redistricting Commission]] that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.<ref name=LWV2011>[http://www.lwvnj.org/images/cg_2011.pdf#page=57 ''2011 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130604153059/http://www.lwvnj.org/images/cg_2011.pdf#page=57 |date=June 4, 2013 }}, p. 57, New Jersey [[League of Women Voters]]. Accessed May 22, 2015.</ref>

{{NJ Congress 08}} {{NJ Senate}}

{{NJ Legislative 20}}

{{NJ Union County Commissioners}}

===Politics===
As of October 24, 2024, there are 68,000 registered voters in Elizabeth. 32,870 (48.34%) are registered [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]], 26,212 (38.55%) are registered as [[Unaffiliated (New Jersey)|Unaffiliated]], 7,810 (11.49%) are registered [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]], and 1,108 (1.6%) are registered to other parties.

In the [[United States presidential election in New Jersey, 2012|2012 presidential election]], Democrat [[Barack Obama]] received 24,751 votes (80.8% vs. 66.0% countywide), ahead of Republican [[Mitt Romney]] with 5,213 votes (17.0% vs. 32.3%) and other candidates with 166 votes (0.5% vs. 0.8%), among the 30,640 ballots cast by the city's 50,715 registered voters, for a turnout of 60.4% (vs. 68.8% in Union County).<ref>[http://njelections.org/2012-results/2012-presidential-union.pdf Presidential November 6, 2012 General Election Results – Union County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201192205/http://njelections.org/2012-results/2012-presidential-union.pdf |date=February 1, 2014 }}, [[New Jersey Department of State]] Division of Elections, March 15, 2013. Accessed May 6, 2013.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140201191259/http://njelections.org/2012-results/2012-ballotscast-union.pdf Number of Registered Voters and Ballots Cast November 6, 2012 General Election Results – Union County], [[New Jersey Department of State]] Division of Elections, March 15, 2013. Accessed May 6, 2013.</ref> In the [[United States presidential election in New Jersey, 2008|2008 presidential election]], Democrat Barack Obama received 23,524 votes (74.3% vs. 63.1% countywide), ahead of Republican [[John McCain]] with 7,559 votes (23.9% vs. 35.2%) and other candidates with 202 votes (0.6% vs. 0.9%), among the 31,677 ballots cast by the city's 48,294 registered voters, for a turnout of 65.6% (vs. 74.7% in Union County).<ref>[http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/election-results/2008-gen-elect-presidential-results-union.pdf 2008 Presidential General Election Results: Union County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203203529/http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/election-results/2008-gen-elect-presidential-results-union.pdf |date=February 3, 2014 }}, [[New Jersey Department of State]] Division of Elections, December 23, 2008. Accessed May 6, 2013.</ref> In the [[United States presidential election in New Jersey, 2004|2004 presidential election]], Democrat [[John Kerry]] received 18,363 votes (67.2% vs. 58.3% countywide), ahead of Republican [[George W. Bush]] with 8,486 votes (31.0% vs. 40.3%) and other candidates with 144 votes (0.5% vs. 0.7%), among the 27,334 ballots cast by the city's 45,882 registered voters, for a turnout of 59.6% (vs. 72.3% in the whole county).<ref>[http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/election-results/2004-presidential_union_co_2004.pdf 2004 Presidential Election: Union County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203203756/http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/election-results/2004-presidential_union_co_2004.pdf |date=February 3, 2014 }}, [[New Jersey Department of State]] Division of Elections, December 13, 2004. Accessed May 6, 2013.</ref>

{{PresHead|place=Elizabeth|source=<ref>{{Cite web |title=NJ DOS - Division of Elections - Election Results Archive |url=https://nj.gov/state/elections/election-information-results.shtml |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=nj.gov}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|13,238|17,149|526|New Jersey}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|10,002|24,326|256|New Jersey}}
{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|6,057|25,493|727|New Jersey}}
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|5,213|24,751|166|New Jersey}}
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|7,559|23,524|202|New Jersey}}
{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|8,486|18,363|144|New Jersey}}
|}

In the [[New Jersey gubernatorial election, 2017|2017 gubernatorial election]], Democrat [[Phil Murphy]] received 10,589 votes (81.6% vs. 65.2% countywide), ahead of Republican [[Kim Guadagno]] with 2,140 votes (16.5% vs. 32.6%), and other candidates with 241 votes (1.9% vs. 2.1%), among the 13,607 ballots cast by the township's 55,569 registered voters, for a turnout of 24.5%.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/election-results/2017/2017-general-election-results-governor-union.pdf |title=Governor - Union County |date=December 21, 2017 |publisher=New Jersey Department of Elections |access-date=November 23, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/election-results/2017/2017-gen-elect-ballotscast-results-union.pdf |title=Number of Registered Voters and Ballots Cast - November 7, 2017 - General Election Results - Union County|date=December 21, 2017 |publisher=New Jersey Department of Elections |access-date=November 23, 2024}}</ref> In the [[New Jersey gubernatorial election, 2013|2013 gubernatorial election]], Democrat [[Barbara Buono]] received 63.2% of the vote (7,804 cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 35.5% (4,379 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (163 votes), among the 13,592 ballots cast by the city's 49,515 registered voters (1,246 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 27.5%.<ref name=2013Elections>{{cite web |url=http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/2013-results/2013-general-election-results-governor-union.pdf |title=Governor – Union County |date=January 29, 2014 |publisher=New Jersey Department of Elections |access-date=December 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924134027/http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/2013-results/2013-general-election-results-governor-union.pdf |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=2013VoterReg>{{cite web |url=http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/2013-results/2013-general-election-ballotscast-union.pdf |title=Number of Registered Voters and Ballots Cast – November 5, 2013 – General Election Results – Union County |date=January 29, 2014 |publisher=New Jersey Department of Elections |access-date=December 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924133323/http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/2013-results/2013-general-election-ballotscast-union.pdf |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the [[New Jersey gubernatorial election, 2009|2009 gubernatorial election]], Democrat [[Jon Corzine]] received 10,258 ballots cast (66.8% vs. 50.6% countywide), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 4,386 votes (28.6% vs. 41.7%), Independent [[Chris Daggett]] with 376 votes (2.4% vs. 5.9%) and other candidates with 131 votes (0.9% vs. 0.8%), among the 15,355 ballots cast by the city's 46,219 registered voters, yielding a 33.2% turnout (vs. 46.5% in the county).<ref>[http://www.njelections.org/election-results/2009-governor_results-union.pdf 2009 Governor: Union County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017230050/http://www.njelections.org/election-results/2009-governor_results-union.pdf |date=October 17, 2012 }}, [[New Jersey Department of State]] Division of Elections, December 31, 2009. Accessed May 6, 2013.</ref>