Court upholds order to end the county line
New format ordered for Democratic ballots
Democratic voters in New Jersey will use the office block ballot design in the June primary after a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit in Philadelphia affirmed an earlier order from the U.S. District Court in Trenton.
The order, issued by U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi on March 29, calls for New Jersey’s June 4 Democratic primary to use so-called office block-style ballots instead of the county line design that has been used in most of the state. All 49 other states and two New Jersey counties already use the office block style.
“We are persuaded that the District Court’s thorough and carefully reasoned opinion reflects no abuse of discretion, so we will affirm the preliminary injunction,” Circuit Judge Kent Jordan wrote.
That order came in a lawsuit brought by Rep. Andy Kim in February to challenge the county line, the longstanding New Jersey ballot design that gave preferential placement to candidates backed by county political organizations.
Jordan wrote that “securing a local political party’s endorsement is important in every primary election, but it is nowhere more important than in New Jersey, where endorsements and ballot placement on the so-called ‘county line’ have significant electoral value.”
Kent said voters have to navigate “complex and sometimes contradictory ballots in order to vote for candidates who are left off the county line” and that the design “favors the Democratic and Republican political parties and their leaders.”
The judge pointed out that the sole remaining appellant in the case is the Camden County Democratic Committee. The deadline for candidates to join New Jersey’s June 4 primary passed, and ballots are scheduled to be mailed to voters at the end of April.
Kim filed the suit while he was in a primary battle with first lady Tammy Murphy for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. The seat is held by Sen. Bob Menendez. Murphy has since dropped out of the race.
In his preliminary opinion, Quraishi said he “recognizes the magnitude” of the decision and that the “integrity of the democratic process for a primary election is at stake.”