Democratic voters around New Jersey went to the polls on Tuesday to cast their ballots in a historic election, free from the influence of the long-standing “party line,” a controversial ballot design that a federal judge banned earlier this year, after finding it gave an unfair advantage to candidates preferred by local party leaders.
Litigation over the line is still ongoing, and the judge’s order was a temporary injunction that only stopped Democrats from using the line. The Republican primary was still using the traditional ballot design.
The federal Department of Justice was also closely watching the polls in Union County. The DOJ entered into a consent decree with the county last year, ordering the county to make its elections more accommodating for Spanish speakers.
