House candidate Amani Al-Khatahtbeh on Sunday announced her intent to pursue legal action over her ballot placement.
Al-Khatahtbeh, who is one of two primary challengers seeking to oust Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch), was placed in column E of the sixth district’s ballot. Because she bracketed with no other candidates, she is the only one in the column.
“This is a systemic tactic to suppress our votes and disenfranchise new candidates from the electoral process,” Al-Khatahtbeh said. “It’s especially devastating to marginalized groups in exasperating barriers to entry towards an inclusive and robust democracy.”
Pallone is bracketed with organization-backed candidates like former Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-Newark) in column B.
Russ Cirincione, the other primary challengers, landed in column A alongside U.S. Senate candidate Larry Hamm and others running on the “Not Me. Us” slate.
It’s not clear precisely what legal action Al-Khatahtbeh intends to take, and, with election day right over the horizon and mail-in ballots already sent out, legal action is unlikely to make much of a difference.
