Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, 2nd Ward Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher, and 32nd Legislative District Assembly candidate Katie Brennan testified against the new ballot design proposal in Trenton yesterday during a sometimes tense hearing.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“This legislation is deeply undemocratic and, if enacted, would create an unfair ballot design that benefits political insiders and incumbents at the expense of regular voters and independent candidates,” declared Bhalla at the committee hearing.
“One of the most egregious aspects of this bill is the requirement that candidates either bracket together with others or stand alone on the ballot. This is an inherently coercive choice that forces candidates to engage in political maneuvering rather than focusing on presenting their vision to voters. By allowing bracketing to remain, S-4142 perpetuates a system where ballot design influences electoral outcomes rather than the merits of the candidates themselves.”
Like Brennan, Bhalla is running for a state Assembly seat in LD-32 and both are currently independents.
The race also includes Assemblywoman Jessica Ramirez, who is on Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop’s ticket as part of his bid for governor, along with Jennie Pu and Crystal Fonseca – who both have the endorsement of the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO).
“I urge you to reject this bill for two reasons: It creates another unfair ballot, and it sends a dangerous message to voters who are already concerned about the state of our democracy,” stated Brennan.
“On the contents of the bill: All of the experts testified to the issues with bracketing — the decades of research showing how it affects election outcomes, and recommendations on a clean block ballot.”
She continued that New Jersey is the only stated with bracketing, which makes the ballot unfair to both independent candidates and the voters themselves.
As for Fisher, a likely candidate for mayor who is serving her third term on the council, she joined the chorus of about a dozen witnesses, including Bhalla and Brennan, who did not want the bill to move out of committee.
” … There’s still provisions in this that if the average person sitting in a room that was supporting democracy were to be asked to put a law together, they wouldn’t include these provisions, because why would they want to have provisions that would give these subtle ballot advantages to people that are much more aware of the election process, whether it’s incumbents or people that are affiliated with parties,” she stated.
“So the ‘association’ of candidates for assembly, it’s just not necessary … Why should they [first time candidates] run and be faced with an advantage being given to a counterpart, which is typically someone who’s in the seat. That’s an easy change, right? It’s an easy change.”
Overall, those who testified believed that the bill, which does not allow candidates from separate offices to use the same slogan – which Fulop has said targets his campaign – is at odds with the decision issues by U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi in March.
His potentially landmark ruling abolished county lines for the June 4th, 2024 Democratic primary, and while the case did not apply to future elections, Fulop has said he will take the case back to court if he finds it necessary.
The Senate Judiciary Committee moved the bill out of committee via a unanimous vote (10-0), with the full Senate expected to vote on the bill on Tuesday.