Middlesex and Burlington county clerks on Thursday reached proposed settlement agreements with the attorneys for Rep. Andy Kim (D-3rd) to prohibit the use of the long-standing “county line” ballot system.
While the agreement awaits a judge’s approval, the deal would prevent ballots from grouping candidates in any way other than the office they are running for and prohibit bracketing party-endorsed candidates running for different offices together.
Research has indicated that the ballot design unique to New Jersey provided party-backed candidates with an unfair advantage. The candidates would normally be grouped by slogan, and they would be arranged in preferential positions.
“New Jersey voters deserve a fair ballot and I won’t stop fighting until we get one. While the court considers the proposed settlement agreements filed today, I’m hopeful this will spark momentum to get all counties to permanently abide by the historic ruling made by the Federal District Court in New Jersey and upheld by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. We are building a new era of politics in New Jersey,” Kim, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate, said in a statement.
The settlement comes months after U.S. District Court Judge Zahid Quraishi prohibited the use of “county lines” in June’s Democratic primaries in a preliminary injunction after Kim in February sued most of the county clerks during a primary fight with first lady Tammy Murphy for the U.S. Democratic Senate nomination.
“Today’s settlement agreements represent a recognition by the county clerks and political parties that New Jersey’s democracy is moving forward with the end of the corrupt county line system. They’re an important step in the fight to end New Jersey’s unconstitutional primary ballot by putting voters in charge of who represents them and cementing long-term reforms to our electoral process,” Antoinette Miles, state director for New Jersey Working Families, said in a statement.
New Jersey Working Families was the lead plaintiff in the original landmark lawsuit to end the ballot structure.
