As U.S. District Court Judge Zahid Quraishi deliberates on Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown)’s lawsuit challenging the New Jersey county line, Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) said yesterday that he’s open to a discussion on ballot design reforms – but not when the primary election is just a few months away.
“It’s too close to the election,” Pascrell said. “I would rather it stay like this [for this election], and then have a full-blown discussion on it. I’d be willing to do that.”
Pascrell was one of several New Jersey Democrats whom the New Jersey Globe asked yesterday about their thoughts on the county line, which lets county parties group their preferred candidates together on primary ballots. Kim, who is running for the U.S. Senate, argues in his lawsuit that his campaign has been unconstitutionally harmed by the county line system.
Not surprisingly, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) sounded most amenable to that argument. Watson Coleman has taken increasingly anti-line stances in recent months, and while she hasn’t gone quite as far as Kim in calling for it to be struck down, she said yesterday that she wouldn’t be upset if Quraishi did so.
“I think he will ultimately find that we need to do this in a different way,” Watson Coleman said. “The question for us is when; how do we do this five days before people have to file and X number of days before ballots are drawn? Whatever it is, it’s probably a good time that it’s coming, and we will all benefit from the improvements.”
Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair), meanwhile, addressed her prior call for “block voting” – seemingly a reference to office-block ballots, where candidates are listed by the office they’re seeking rather than by party endorsement – saying that she was interested in pursuing reforms like office-block ballots but not dead-set on any one proposal.
“I think there’s been a lot of discussion about office-block ballots, I think that’s one way we can move forward. I don’t think I’m wedded to any one determination,” Sherrill said. “We want to make sure that in New Jersey we’re moving towards a process that feels fair and transparent.”
In a statement provided after this story was originally published, Sherrill clarified that she does in fact support an office-block ballot system – which would in effect mean abolishing the line.
“New Jersey voters deserve a process that is fair and transparent,” Sherrill said. “In the era of Trump’s attacks on democratic institutions, it’s critical we strengthen faith in our elections. That’s why I came out for office block voting across all of our 21 counties.”
Sherrill and Pascrell, it’s worth noting, have both endorsed the Senate campaign of First Lady Tammy Murphy, who has not joined Kim in calling for an end to the county line.
Two other New Jersey congressional Democrats, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) and U.S. Senator Cory Booker, declined to comment on the line lawsuit. Pallone is also a Murphy supporter, while Booker and Watson Coleman have remained neutral in the Senate primary.
It’s not clear when Quraishi will issue his decision, but as Pascrell noted, the primary is moving forward regardless of his timeline. The state filing deadline is coming up next Monday, meaning that candidates will likely have to file for office not knowing whether they’ll ultimately be running under the current county line system or a new system.
This story was updated at 1:14 p.m. and at 5:48 p.m