The Assembly Select Committee on Ballot Design has fast-tracked a contentious bill, introduced in response to a federal court decision, that has drawn significant criticism from good government groups.

Introduced just a day before the vote, the bill’s amended version was only read aloud just before the vote took place. Critics have raised concerns over the rushed process and the potential implications of the bill.

Some concerns were addressed, as reported by NJ Monitor:

“Amendments approved at Monday’s hearing removed language that would have prohibited candidates from naming their political party in ballot slogans without the consent of their county political party. Critics of that provision noted that provision would keep some candidates from using the names of established groups — like South Jersey Progressive Democrats — in their ballot slogans.

That language was replaced with other provisions that would allow the secretary of state, municipal clerk, or county clerk — depending on the office sought — to reject slogans they find to be too similar to ones used by other candidates. Lawmakers said this was a bid to keep deception off the ballot.”

Despite these changes, concerns persist. In response, the Working Families Party has launched a petition calling for additional reforms. Their demands include introducing a randomized ballot order and requiring separate drawings for each candidate — longstanding proposals championed by good government advocates to promote fairness in elections.

The bill comes on the heels of a troubling pattern of democratic rollbacks over the past two years, alongside the weakening of the Open Public Records Act and campaign finance regulations.

Read and sign the Working Families Party petition here.

Some Background on this Issue

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