A bill that would allow elections officials to count votes ahead of Election Day failed in the state Senate on Thursday. After a relatively lengthy debate during which a bipartisan group of senators raised concerns about the legislation, Senate President Nick Scutari pulled the measure from the board after its total hung at 20 yes votes to 16 no votes — one vote short of passage. The bill, NJ S856 (22R), would allow county boards of elections to open and count mail-in ballots beginning 10 days before Election Day and for county clerks to tally in-person early votes 24 hours after that voting period ends. Vote counting was slow in some counties in last year’s election. Because of that, high-profile politicians like Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli and Senate President Steve Sweeney took more than a week to concede their races. The bill is similar to a measure that was put in place for only the 2020 election, which was conducted almost entirely by mail-in ballot because of the pandemic. But while there were no reported problems with that law, several senators — including one Democrat — raised concerns about results leaking out and giving certain candidates advantages, even though doing so would be a third-degree crime.
New Jersey: Federal appeals court upholds order barring county-line ballots | Nikita Biryukov/New Jersey Monitor
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a preliminary injunction preventing the use of county-line ballots in June’s Democratic primaries in New Jersey, rejecting a request from the Camden County Democratic Committee to overturn the ruling. The decision, stemming from a lawsuit initiated by U.S. Rep. Andy Kim and others, reinforces a lower court’s finding that the county-line ballot design is likely unconstitutional. Advocates for the injunction argue that the county-line system unfairly advantages party-backed candidates and discourages potential challengers. The ruling is seen as a significant win for progressives in New Jersey, signaling a shift away from what they view as an antidemocratic practice. Read Article