A young Ocean County man who moved from Morris County to Ocean County in September won’t be able to vote at all this year because he didn’t know that he was required to change his voter registration, but the real story tonight may be a deputy attorney general who vociferously fought for his disenfranchisement without the permission of her client.
Deputy Attorney General Heather Anderson stated in a hearing earlier this evening that she was representing the Ocean County Board of Elections and that their position was that the man could not participate.
But representatives from both political parties in Ocean County told the New Jersey Globe that Anderson never spoke to them about this matter, and she was not authorized to represent any position to a Superior Court Judge on their behalf.
Indeed, the commissioners didn’t know who Anderson was.
In multiple voter eligibility hearings since Saturday, deputy attorneys general have left it up to the judge, stating that the board “takes no position” on the request for equitable relief and “leaves it up to the court” to determine voter eligibility.
Anderson took a more aggressive tone, telling the judge, Valter Must, that “there’s nothing that he can show that would allow him to vote.”
“There is no law that would allow leeway to vote,” Anderson stated.
The would-be voter said his move to Ocean County was “kind of abrupt” and was unfamiliar with New Jersey voter registration laws.
“By the time I realized, ‘oh, yeah, there’s an election coming up’ and I’m somewhat invested in the outcome, I should probably make sure I’m good to vote in my new in my new county,” he said. “I looked it up, and there was a deadline that had already passed.”
A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office defended Anderson.
“Throughout eight days of early voting and Election Day, the Division of Law has hundreds of attorneys staffed to represent county election boards and to address legal issues that arise in the 21 counties. While specific points of contact are designated to work directly with each County Board of Election, other attorneys may appear in court on behalf of the Boards as hearings are scheduled. The Division has robust processes to ensure that the positions of the Boards of Elections are accurately conveyed. The representative of the Ocean County Board of Elections was present for the court hearing. While individual Board members may not know the names of these tireless public servants who work on their behalf, the Division attorneys followed the protocols in place to obtain the client’s approval for the position.”
This story was updated at 1:36 PM with comment from the attorney general’s office.
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