33rd Legislative District Assembly candidates Tony Hector and Frank Alonso are calling for for polling locations along the waterfront in North Hudson, though the Hudson County Board of Elections says that’s unlikely to happen.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Despite explosive population growth along the waterfront, the Hudson County political machine has ignored these communities, creating barriers to voting instead of making it easier for people to make their voices heard,” Hector said in a statement.
“Our democracy works best when every voice is heard, not just the ones that are convenient for the political machine, and we will not stop fighting to make sure that every voter has an equal opportunity to vote.”
The duo is seeking polling locations along Weehawken, West New York, Guttenberg, and North Bergen along River Road, specifically three in-person voting sites and one early voting site, they said in an April 29th letter to the board of elections.
“We are demanding action now because every voter, regardless of where they live, deserves the opportunity to participate in this critical election. The board of elections must operate impartially and put the needs of residents ahead of political gamesmanship,” added Alonso.
In a letter to the candidates today, Hudson County Board of Elections Clerk Michael Harper said that while their request merits consideration, they likely cannot accomodate it.
“I agree with you that the significant population growth along Hudson County’s waterfront from Guttenberg to Harrison does merit consideration of changing district lines and polling locations,” he wrote.
“Regrettably, deadlines have passed for both the readjustments of district lines (necessary to add waterfront locations, as State law prohibits more than one polling site per district) and the selection and inspection of additional early voting sites.”
Harper continued that he will share their suggestion with the board of elections commissioners prior to their May 21st meeting, but he will be recommending they deny the request “for both practical and legal reasons.”
He also mentioned that he would recommend a North Hudson waterfront polling location for the November 4th general elections.
Hector and Alonso are running on Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop’s “Democrats for Change” slate as part of his bid for governor, along with the backing of North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco, taking on Assemblyman Gabriel Rodriguez and Larry Wainstein.
They have the support of state Senator (D-33)/Union City Mayor Brian Stack and the Hudson County Democratic Organization.
