Superior Court Judge William Anklowitz issued orders today allowing three Mercer County men to vote after a series of issues – none of them unique – led to them not appearing on the voter rolls for Tuesday’s election.
One man moved from Middlesex County in September and used a form on the U.S. Postal Service website to change his address. He was given the option of registering to vote, which took him to a non-government website; he testified that he got the impression that was all he needed to do. In recent years, numerous voters have been misled by the USPS process, which eventually instructs individuals to print the voter form and mail it in.
A second man relocated from Virginia in June and went to the Motor Vehicles Commission to get a New Jersey driver’s license, saying he registered to vote at that time. When he went to vote today, he found that he wasn’t on the rolls, even though his wife, who went to the MVC with him, was able to vote.
The last man testified that he move from Monmouth County to Mercer in May and believed he had registered to vote prior to the October 13 deadline; his mother, who also registered online on the same day, was able to vote. Anklowitz referred to it as a clerical problem.
New Jerseyans can appear before a judge to personally make their case against being disenfranchised.
Deputy Attorney General Steven Hordis opposed the first application – other DAGs have taken no position this year – but did not object to the next two.