Ballot blunder’s in the mail from NJ
Fiscal Alliance’s Craney gets form 14 years after move
In the latest ballot blunder, New Jersey is asking anyone who received a mail-in voting form who no longer lives in the Garden State to simply “rip it up.”
“That’s nuts,” said Paul Diego Craney, spokesman for the MassFiscal Alliance.
Craney, a registered Republican, said he dropped off his Massachusetts ballot at his town hall on Tuesday — and tossed the one from New Jersey. He kept his vote confidential.
Still, he asked the Herald, how many more people have been sent a ballot they didn’t ask for in the first place?
“This is a great example of holes in the system,” Craney, a fiscal watchdog, said of the state he left in 2006. “When I first looked at it, I couldn’t believe what it appeared to be. I didn’t even ask for a ballot.”
A woman answering the phone Wednesday afternoon at the New Jersey Division of Elections said they are telling anyone sent an errant ballot to “destroy it. Rip it up.” And, the woman added, outof-state voters should alert county officials of the error. She then hung up the phone on the Herald.
Craney said he did all that, but still worries about more ballot shenanigans that could sully the final election tally.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order in August decreeing that ballots with prepaid postage should be mailed to all active registered voters for the general election.
“COVID-19 has impacted nearly every aspect of our lives, from our health and safety to how we participate in our democracy,” Murphy said that day. “This virus continues to threaten public health, and with today’s announcement, we are ensuring that New Jersey voters do not have to make a decision between exercising their right to vote and protecting their well-being.”
Murphy, a Democrat, is now in self-quarantine after being exposed to a staff member who has tested positive for the coronavirus. He has been critical of President Trump for holding a campaign event in Bedminster, N.J., after catching the virus.
The legitimacy of the Nov. 3 election — easily one of the most pivotal in decades — depends on the safety of ballots, both those mailed in and filled out in early voting and on election day. The president has raised concerns about ballot abuse.
“How does this happen?” Craney added. “It’s clear there are problems with the system.”