Incumbency label on primary ballots appears doomed

A fissure among some lawmakers over the option of labeling incumbents on the primary election ballot appears to doom the option, several individuals with knowledge of the proposed ballot design legislation told the New Jersey Globe on Saturday.

Draft legislation included an option for a candidate to request that the word “incumbent” be placed adjacent to their name on the ballot. Each incumbent would make that decision independently.

The labeling of incumbents came from members of the Assembly Select Committee on Ballot Design, which includes requirements for office block ballots, candidate bracketing, slogan sharing, and an option to rotate the names of candidates on different ballots.

There is a concern that special designations on a ballot not equally available to all candidates might not be upheld in court, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak.

It appears that this option will get dropped before the State Assembly votes on the measure later this month.

The proposal called for the incumbent designation to appear in a smaller font size and not be in bold or italics.

Micah Rasmussen, the director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, offered a gentle warning that incumbency could be a double-edged sword if the mood of the electorate were to favor change.

“Choose wisely, incumbents,” he said.