New Jersey’s June 4 primary election ballots will feature the state’s unique “county line” design, which has long been criticized for giving advantageous rankings to candidates supported by party organizations. It cannot be adopted, a federal judge ruled Friday.
The ballot design was challenged in a lawsuit filed by Rep. Andy Kim (D.N.J.), who is running for the U.S. Senate. Kim’s lawsuit argued that county lines are undemocratic and put candidates without the formal endorsement of a political party at a disadvantage.
The ballot design, which has been used for many years in 19 of the state’s 21 counties, features a grid with rows for various positions and candidates’ names listed in different columns from left to right. There is. The county line position (usually the first column on the left) is given to the candidate supported by the county party. Opponents are often placed several rows apart on ballots, making it difficult for voters to spot them and encouraging voting for a single party. No other state has a similar design.
U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi’s order on Friday issued a preliminary injunction requiring counties to create different designs for future primaries. The ruling does not determine whether New Jersey must permanently eliminate county line voting.
“The integrity of the democratic process of the primary election is at stake, and the relief sought by the plaintiffs is extraordinary,” Quraishi wrote, acknowledging that Kim’s lawsuit has met its burden of proof. showed that.
The defendants in the case were a group of county clerks who prepare ballots and claimed they were not given enough time to make changes to their ballots. Some people are expected to appeal this decision.
Kim is running for the seat held by Sen. Bob Menendez (D.N.J.), who has been indicted on numerous corruption charges and has no plans to run again as a Democrat, but has ruled out running as an independent. I haven’t. His case will proceed through the court system.
New Jersey’s first lady, Tammy Murphy, who campaigned against Kim in the Democratic primary, said on Sunday that despite her party retaining support in the state’s most populous county, Withdrew from the election campaign. Ms. Murphy had been accused of using the influence of her husband, Gov. Phil Murphy, to gain key support from her. She said she withdrew to avoid a “bloody, expensive, and downright divisive” primary, but she has indicated that she intends to run in the future. did.
Kim celebrated the federal order issued Friday, calling it a victory for the people of New Jersey.