The second hearing of a special legislative committee in New Jersey focused on the redesign of ballots. Witnesses urged lawmakers to consider adopting office-block ballots and cautioned against including excessive information on the ballots.
This hearing marked the first opportunity for public testimony following a federal judge's decision to prohibit party-line primary ballots, which critics argue give certain candidates an unfair advantage by grouping them into a single row or column.
Julia Sass Rubin, director of the public policy program at Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, served as an expert witness in the lawsuit that led to Judge Quraishi's order. Rubin stated that any ballot design connecting two separate candidates "could influence which ones voters select and that, by definition, would not be a fair ballot."
Rubin also advised against adopting a ballot design similar to Connecticut's, where party-endorsed candidates automatically receive the top position on the ballot. She warned this could unduly favor those with party backing. "I think it’s still a very unfair ballot," Rubin said. "I would say let’s go for a fair ballot."
