Kim argued in his lawsuit that the design “cynically” manipulated voters and was “an abomination to a fair election.”
U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi sided with Kim and other plaintiffs, saying the system of “bracketing” county-endorsed candidates gave them an unfair advantage over challengers. The ruling will force New Jersey to redesign its ballots ahead of the June primary.
“Candidates who are not bracketed tend to occupy less prominent parts of the ballot, where they are less important and harder to find, and can be lumped together in the same column as other candidates who do not want to be associated with them.” he said in a 49-page judgment. , released on Friday.
He also wrote that the harm caused by the ballot design used in 19 of the state’s 21 counties far outweighs the challenges of changing ballots before primaries. Ta. Quraishi noted that of the two people who testified, one for the plaintiffs and one for the defendants, both said the changes to the ballots could allow them to be counted in time.
“Today’s decision is a victory for fairer, more democratic politics in New Jersey,” Kim said in a statement Friday. “This is a victory built on the incredible grassroots work of activists across the state who saw undemocratic systems marginalizing the voices of their constituents.”
Ezra Levin, co-founder and co-executive director of the progressive group Indivisible Action, suggested the ruling could have far-reaching implications.
“Today is a brand new day for New Jersey, one where the people, not the political establishment, will decide who is the best candidate to carry our party’s flag,” Levin said. “For decades, New Jersey’s political system has been rigged in favor of “line” candidates, making it nearly impossible for a candidate to choose the favorite of the incumbent party as their first choice. That was a problem for democracy. ”
The ruling comes after New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin’s office last week called the ballot design “unconstitutional” and declined to defend the state against Kim’s lawsuit.
“This is an exceptional case and justifies the Attorney General’s unusual decision not to defend the constitutionality of the statute at issue,” the letter to Quraishi said.
He added, “These features of grid voting and bracketing place unbracketed candidates at the end of the ballot, creating multiple blank spaces between them and their competitors, making it difficult to ‘vote. “A phenomenon known as “Siberia” is occurring,” he added.
Kim is running as the Democratic nominee for the Senate seat held by embattled Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez. The senator is accused by federal prosecutors of extortion, obstruction of justice and accepting bribes in exchange for aiding the Egyptian and Qatari governments. Mr. Menendez maintains his innocence and has not announced whether he will seek re-election.
On Sunday, one of Kim’s leading opponents in the primary, New Jersey’s first lady Tammy Murphy, suspended her campaign, greatly increasing Kim’s chances.
Rutgers University professor Julia Sass Rubin, who submitted an expert brief to the court, said in an interview last week that the ruling forcing changes to ballots was a “shake-up” that “fundamentally changes the way New Jersey politics is run.” It will bring about significant changes.” ”
“We are the last ones” [political] The machine controls the state, and the machine relies on county lines to maintain control,” Rubin told The Washington Post last week. “If you displease the people who decide who gets to make decisions,” you can lose your job, she said.