New Jersey Democratic State Chairman/Essex County Democratic Chairman LeRoy Jones. Jr. made the following statement today regarding the line lawsuit:
“The decision of U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi left some gaping inconsistencies that still need to be resolved. However, every county clerk involved in the ‘line’ lawsuit has dropped their appeal and it is time to devote our time and energy to participating in June’s Primary election under the rules that were set forth in the Judge’s order. Anything short of our full participation in this process would be a disservice to our county and state organizations and the many people across New Jersey who continue to devote their time and energy towards advancing our Democratic principles.
“I also continue to believe a legislative solution that leads to ballot uniformity is the best way forward. I would like to take this opportunity to implore legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle to move forward with their recent call to action and begin the process of evaluating ballot reform with the ultimate goal of curing the constitutional deficiencies identified by the courts and resolving the inconsistencies that the order created.
“It is my hope that the legislature can move forward with input from concerned stakeholders quickly and efficiently in an effort to take legislative action to be in effect for our general election of this year and beyond.
“I want to be clear: As I have stated several times now, I do not oppose the block ballot design. Good candidates (and parties) must do the work to win their elections, no matter what the ballot looks like. I also continue to support an organizational right to associate, something acknowledged and reinforced explicitly by the Judge’s order.
“Ballot consistency throughout New Jersey’s 21 counties is an important ongoing issue but I do not believe it is one we should be pursuing legally with Primary Day less than 60 days away.”