MVC issue causes voter to be disenfranchised

A Superior Court Judge rejected a bid by a woman who wanted to vote in the Democratic primary today because a visit to the New Jersey Motor Vehicles Commission last month to obtain a Real ID license appears to have inadvertently switched her registration to unaffiliated.

The woman, whose name is being withheld by the New Jersey Globe, told Judge Wendy Allyson Reek that she visited the MVC on May 14 to change her name and obtain a Real ID license.

The voter had been a registered Democrat and voted in the 2024 primary; she appeared today to cast her vote in the Democratic primary during the state’s first day of in-person early voting and was turned away.

Deputy Attorney General Jordan Viana told the judge that only registered Democrats may vote in the Democratic primary.   Reek agreed and told the voter she could not participate in this year’s primary election.

This is the latest example of issues at the Motor Vehicles Commission resulting in the disenfranchisement of a voter, and inexperienced election lawyers – Viana typically handles environmental issues for the Department of Law and Public Safety – not fully understanding voter registration matters.

The voter appears to have become entangled in a bureaucratic maze.  The voter said that while at the MVC kiosk, she was asked if she was a registered voter and responded that she was.  She was then asked which party she wished to identify with.  The woman said her intention was to remain a Democrat, but said it was possible that she became confused at the kiosk and checked unaffiliated.

The deadline to change party registration was April 16, so it’s unclear how the system allowed her to switch her registration on May 14.  It’s also unclear how an unaffiliated voter was denied her right to affiliate by casting a vote in the primary.

Voters should not readily accept being turned away.  If you are not allowed to vote, you can present your case to a Superior Court Judge to determine your eligibility to vote.  Judges will be on call for each of the six days of early voting; hearings are done remotely, and you can attend a hearing via Zoom from your phone at a polling location.