New Jersey Lawsuit Over Ballot Format in Talks for Settlement

The 2020 case filed in New Jersey against discriminatory ballot format in primaries will soon undergo settlement talks. Coonforti v Hanlon, 3:20cv-8267. This is the case over the ballot format in 19 of New Jersey’s 21 counties, in which the primary candidates favored by the party organization receive a superior spot on the ballot. That system was enjoined earlier this year.

In recent months, the Democratic Parties of Union County and Middlesex County have stopped supporting the old law, as has the Burlington County Clerk.

It seems likely that the New Jersey legislature will address ballot format next year. It is hoped that New Jersey’s minor parties will participate in the legislative process, so that the discriminatory ballot format in the general election can also be fixed.


Comments

New Jersey Lawsuit Over Ballot Format in Talks for Settlement — 12 Comments

  1. If states accepted fees for ballot access, maybe they could consider accepting additional bids to buy position rank on the ballot.

  2. Walter, getting a better spot on the ballot is not a valid reason for the government to collect money, nevermind what that money is used for. Public goods, such as government ballots, can’t be auctioned.

    Parties are public factions of electors. Party organizations are private entities. Primary ballots are for parties, not party organizations. Example: Self-identified Democrats in Union County are a public faction. The Union County Democratic Committee is a private entity. The Democratic Primary ballot in Union County is for self-identified Democrats in Union County, not the UCDC.

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