Voters are heading to the polls on Tuesday to select their parties' nominees for downballot offices in five states, including New Jersey, which is experiencing a historic primary night.
In March, a federal judge granted Rep. Andy Kim's request to prohibit New Jersey election officials from printing ballots for the Democratic primary that give certain candidates favorable placement, a practice known as the "county line." The previous system allowed parties to favor their endorsed candidates by placing them in prominent locations while relegating others to less visible spots referred to as "ballot Siberia."
This design provided a significant advantage. Rutgers professor Julia Sass Rubin concluded that between 2002 and 2022, candidates on the county line enjoyed an average boost of 38 points. Instead, the court ordered counties to prepare ballots "organized by office sought"—the system used in every other state.
