The Good Government Coalition of New Jersey (GGCNJ) is a nonpartisan grassroots group whose mission is to strengthen democracy by working with residents across our state to bring greater transparency, accountability, and participation to our state and local governments.
The current political system in New Jersey is broken. Government is dominated by those with money and power who shape decisions in backroom deals. Far too often, the public is entirely shut out of the process. We aim to ensure that all branches of government, at the state and local levels, work on behalf of all of us. Our goal is to move New Jersey ever closer towards Abraham Lincoln’s vision of a “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
Find out more about the groups forming the coalition. Click here to contact us or join GGCNJ.
Our policy agenda
- Bolster democracy in New Jersey by eliminating the County Line in primary election ballots
- Increase voter education about candidates and their platforms and about structural barriers to democracy in New Jersey
- Increase participation of a wide array of candidates for public office, from county committee to state-wide office
Mechanisms to Help Empower the Public
The Good Government Coalition of New Jersey will:
- Serve as a nonpartisan clearinghouse – Citizens can easily find information on our website about which candidates are running for office, how to run for office themselves, and background information about ballot issues
- Help the public make more informed decisions – We survey candidates about their positions on government reform proposals, posting all responses as a public report card on our website
- Partner with other organizations to increase public participation in politics – We work with other organizations to increase voter participation, and make it easier for more residents, especially from under-represented communities or demographics, to serve on commissions and run for office
We also support
- Instituting stronger transparency and ethics requirements
- Improving the nominating process for state commissions and boards, recruiting a broader pool of well-qualified candidates
- Strengthening accountability at the state level through an independent and directly elected public advocate
- Reforming New Jersey’s legislative redistricting process to eliminate conflicts of interest
- Instituting public campaign funding for all state-level elected offices