A federal judge could rule any day on the unique New Jersey ballot system that gives candidates who are endorsed by political parties a huge advantage.
The debate over New Jersey’s arcane “county line” ballot design has been thrust into the spotlight in an election season full of wild and woolly Democratic Party county conventions, where U.S. Senate race frontrunners Rep. Andy Kim and first lady Tammy Murphy have battled for the political organizations’ endorsements.
Kim has won many of those endorsements, but in a majority of New Jersey’s most Democratic counties, they’re awarded directly by party leaders who back Murphy, so she’ll get preferential treatment on most primary ballots. Kim is suing to end the county line ballot system ahead of the primary. If he wins, he’d upend a system party bosses have long used to sway elections in a state where their political machines reign supreme.
Kim and the progressive activists supporting him said the ground has shifted on the issue.
“You can see from the number of people who showed up [in court], the number of candidates and elected officials all over New Jersey right now that are speaking out against this, there are a lot of people that have deep concerns about this,” Kim said. “I think there are a lot of people that haven’t spoken out before that now are.”
It’s the first time New Jersey has seen a competitive Democratic primary for Senate in decades, and the first time the unusual ballot layout has become a statewide campaign issue. Here are five remarkable developments that got us here.
At Camden convention, the bosses decide who gets inside
Not all county committees award their endorsements through votes at conventions; in some cases, party bosses decide on those endorsements themselves. When committees do hold conventions, they usually invite the candidates to speak to their memberships, which comprise hundreds of delegates who often hold elected and appointed positions in local government…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply