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By Tiffany Muller and Brian Lemek
Last week, the Andy Kim campaign filed legal action in New Jersey to ensure voters are not robbed of a legitimate choice in the June 4 Senate primary.
New Jersey has an archaic ballot system that dates back to the days of party boss patronage politics.
While powerful insiders reap the benefits of this corrupt and anti-democratic system, regular voters pay the price.
New Jersey is the only state in the nation which uses a “county line” system that allows party bosses to decide whether voters have a fair opportunity to see which candidates are running for office. They can literally hide political opponents from view on the ballot.
End Citizens United and Defend The Vote support this filing. Our two organizations are dedicated to preserving and strengthening our democracy.
But that’s not happening in the New Jersey primary. Candidates who appeal to most voters and are more popular can be banished to ballot Siberia. Voters have to search to find them. Meanwhile, candidates who ally themselves with key party bosses — through threats and intimidation, the promise of favors, or otherwise — are given prominent placement.
The impact is real. No incumbent who secured the county line has lost since 2009. Research shows candidates on the county line have an average advantage of 38 points in the primary.
Two New Jersey counties do not use the county line system, shunning it for the same ballot structure 49 other states use.
The other 19 counties haven’t, which is why this dynamic has become a major flashpoint in the state’s Senate primary. To many, the county line represents the old corrupt, machine-style politics or the too familiar string of political scandals and indictments in the state. New Jerseyans are eager for change and to turn the page to a new chapter of honest leadership.
The candidate who offers that leadership is ahead in the polls. Congressman Andy Kim is running a people-powered campaign fueled by grassroots support. Kim’s lead is being challenged by First Lady Tammy Murphy, whose entire strategy rests on the county ballot line staying in place.
She’s using her insider connections to secure endorsements from party bosses through any means necessary and using those endorsements to get prominent placement on the ballot.
Understanding her campaign is doomed by a fair process, Murphy has resisted calls to eliminate the county line system — standing shoulder to shoulder with party bosses fighting to keep it.
Andy Kim is such a strong candidate who’s building broad grassroots support that we believe he will overcome the machine and county lines. But beating the corrupt ballot system once doesn’t resolve the fact voters are hurt too often by this system.
The fact is the system has been rigged against working people for far too long. The wealthy and well-connected use their power and influence to secure their tax breaks, score government contracts, and get sweetheart deals from those in charge. Meanwhile families who are struggling to afford rent, groceries and health care continue to have their voices drowned out.
Andy Kim has been fighting to change that. He’s been leading the fight to root out corruption, ensure everyone’s voice is heard and every vote is counted — including leading on legislation like the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. He’s also opposed the county line scheme since before the Senate primary,
There’s no doubt that the county line system is designed to disempower voters, who should have the opportunity to vote for the candidate who will represent their interests without party bosses deciding for them.
Abolishing it is a necessary step to defend our democracy, protect the right to vote, and ensure every voter has an equal opportunity to support candidates of their own choosing. That’s how we make progress on key issues and ensure our system of government reflects the will of the people, not just well connected insiders benefiting on the back of everyone else.
Tiffany Muller is the President of End Citizens United // Let America Vote. Brian Lemek is the Executive Director of Defend The Vote
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