Governor Murphy has signed a new law, A5116/S4142, which modifies the design of New Jersey’s primary ballots. This legislation comes in response to a federal judge's decision in 2024 that deemed most of the state's previous primary ballots unconstitutional. Despite changes, the new law retains elements of the old system by grouping candidates based on shared slogans.
New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP), along with over 75 other groups, had urged Governor Murphy to conditionally veto the bill. However, with his signature today, it becomes law without modification.
Nicole Rodriguez, President of NJPP, commented on the situation: “NJPP has long advocated for fair ballots, with research showing the damaging anti-democratic effects of the ‘county line’ and other visual cues on the physical ballot, which steer voters toward certain candidates and away from others. The end of the county line is undoubtedly a monumental achievement by democracy advocates from across the political spectrum. But by continuing these harmful practices, including grouping candidates together in all but name, this compromise represents a missed opportunity for the state to implement the clean office block ballot design, which is standard in almost all other states.”
The NJPP continues to emphasize its research on how these ballot designs impact voter behavior.
