The New Jersey Assembly Select Committee on Ballot Design convened its third hearing this week to discuss future designs for the state's election ballots. The committee is gathering input from various stakeholders, including Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, who is a gubernatorial candidate in the upcoming spring elections.
Mayor Fulop referenced recent federal court decisions that abolished the current use of county or "party lines" on ballots. He stated, "[The court] clearly defined what constitutes a fair ballot, and the verdict was unanimously upheld by an appellate court." Fulop emphasized the need for "a separate and equal draw, for each candidate, for each office."
Testimonies before the committee have largely favored adopting an office block model similar to those used in most other states. Julia Sass Rubin, an associate professor at Rutgers University who has researched the county line system, supports this model. Rubin explained that with this design, "[The elected] position would be at the top; there would be the names of all the candidates beneath that." She added that it should include clear instructions at the top and rotate candidate order by voting precinct to ensure fairness.
The discussions aim to address concerns about ballot fairness and clarity as New Jersey considers changes to its electoral process.
