New Jersey’s County-Line Ballot Is Almost Dead

Seth Wenig/AP

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.A federal judge on Friday granted a preliminary injunction that will force New Jersey to redo its controversial ballot design, known as the county-line ballot, a move that could fundamentally alter elections in a state long rife with allegations of political corruption. 
The ruling is a victory for Rep. Andy Kim, who last month sued the state’s counties to end the use of the design. But Friday’s decision, which at one point had been seen as a critical step in Kim’s campaign to replace the now twice-indited Sen. Bob Menendez, may carry less importance for those efforts. That’s because Tammy Murphy, wife to Gov. Phil Murphy and Kim’s opponent ahead of the June Democratic primary, announced last week that she was suddenly dropping out. Despite never having held office and being a registered Republican until 2014, Murphy had been backed by the state’s political machine and therefore widely perceived as unbeatable.
Still, the ruling’s potential effect on future elections, especially if it survives a likely appeal by county clerks, could be massive. My colleague Nina Wang explains:

Strong party endorsements offer an outsized electoral advantage in New Jersey’s primaries. Nineteen of the state’s 21 counties design their ballots in an extraordinarily confusing way that tips the scales toward local bigwigs’ favorite candidates. On ballot sheets, party bosses can put their top picks on the county line—a list of candidates endorsed for all seats currently up for election, from county clerk all the way to the presidency. Challengers who lack the bosses’ favor are often kicked to “ballot Siberia,” where they are likely to be ignored by voters.

“Today’s decision is a victory for a fairer, more democratic politics in New Jersey,” Kim said in a statement. “It’s a victory built from the incredible grassroots work of activists across our state who saw an undemocratic system marginalizing the voices of voters, and worked tirelessly to fix it.”