Murphy quietly signs primary ballot design bill

With little fanfare, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill overhauling the state’s primary election system.

Murphy’s approval of the bill comes about a year after a federal judge ruled a controversial ballot system undergirding primary elections in most of the state to be unconstitutional. The newly enacted legislation requires primary ballots to be designed in an office-block format and officially abolishes the county line, a system that granted party-endorsed candidates an advantageous position on ballots.

The press release announcing Murphy’s signature of the controversial bill did not include a statement.

The Legislature passed the bill out of both chambers last month.

The bill could face legal challenges.

More than 75 advocacy groups in the state signed a letter late last month asking Murphy to conditionally veto the bill, specifically provisions that place numbers next to the names of candidates and place running mates together if they’re seeking an office with more than one open seat.

“On behalf of New Jersey voters and New Jersey democracy, we urge [Gov. Murphy] to issue a conditional veto on A5116/S4142—striking the joint petition bracketing and number-letter markers on the ballot, requiring uniform good practices around font and formatting, and reinstating the right of people to vote for their state committee party members—and finally help us create a fair ballot in New Jersey,” the letter read. 

The letter was signed by groups including the NJ Working Families Party, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, and Make the Road Action New Jersey.

The judge who ruled the county line unconstitutional, federal judge Zahid Quraishi, wrote in his opinion that there should be a “separate drawing for every office and candidate.” Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a Democratic candidate for governor, said last week he would join a lawsuit against the bill if enacted into law.

“I think it falls short of what the judge tried to make happen here in the state of New Jersey,” Baraka said Sunday. “You can always count on people who have privilege to do what they can to hold on to remnants of the privilege they fear that they’re getting ready to lose.”

A retooling of the state’s electoral system became inevitable when Quraishi ruled the county line—which grouped party-endorsed candidates together on primary ballots—harmed candidates and violated the Constitution. Among the plaintiffs was then-Rep. Andy Kim, who was facing First Lady Tammy Murphy for the Democratic nomination for Senate.

New Jersey Working Families Party Director Antoinette Miles criticized Murphy in a press release—her organization was among those that asked for a conditional veto. Still, she celebrated the death of the “unconstitutional county line ballot” and the work activists performed to end the line.

“We’re very disappointed that Governor Murphy has missed a historic chance to guarantee a fair ballot by signing a flawed ballot design bill into law, ignoring overwhelming opposition from advocates and the public,” Miles said in a release. “Nearly 80 groups expressed concern about lawmakers’ ballot redesign bill, emphasizing that with a few changes, voters could have the fair ballot they deserve. We’re considering our next steps in response to this development and how this law impacts voter and candidate rights.”

Kim expressed displeasure with the law in a social media post on Thursday evening.

“Almost exactly a year ago I testified in court to fix NJ’s broken ballot and make our politics more fair,” Kim wrote. “The simple premise was to have every candidate treated exactly the same on the ballot. The bill signed today falls short of what voters deserve. At a time when Trump is inflaming political corruption, we must prioritize restoring trust from the people. I’ll keep fighting to fix our broken politics in NJ and Washington.”

This story is developing.