Assembly ballot design draft bill: office block with candidate bracketing, slogan sharing, and option to randomize order

Primary election ballots will be arranged in office block style, with candidates permitted to use a common slogan and bracket themselves – literally with brackets surrounding the names of running mates seeking the same office — on the ballot with a running mate, and giving county clerks broad discretion over ballot design, according to a draft of legislation prepared at the request of the Assembly Select Committee on Ballot Design and obtained by the New Jersey Globe.

County clerks would have the option of using ballot rotations to randomize how candidates are listed, but that would be with the unanimous consent of a political party’s Board of Election members.  In other words, it will be up to each party in each county to decide if they want to use randomization.

“A rotation algorithm could be used to rotate the order in which the names of candidates will appear on the ballot,” the draft bill states.  “The rotated ballots may be presented to the voters by assigning the ballot versions per election district, or by randomly presenting such ballots to each voter when voting by mail, voting during the early voting period, or voting in person on election day.”

The option would result in voters receiving “different ballots where the same list of candidates is ordered differently.”

“The goal of the rotation system is for each candidate to appear substantially an equal number of times at each possible order, from first to last, on the ballot before an equal number of voters, and that no candidate will be advantaged over other candidates on the basis of their ballot placement or position,” the draft bill language states.

Under that plan, all candidates would appear an equal number of times in the first position, based on voting districts.

The proposed bill eliminates separating candidates for a single office, essentially ending the practice of “Ballot Siberia.” Each candidate or slate seeking the same office must be drawn separately.

Ballot slogans will increase from six words to seven.  Candidates would have the option of designating themselves as incumbents on the ballot.  All ballots must meet specific design standards: upper and lower case names using 12-point type.

County clerks would decide if the ballot is drawn horizontally or vertically.  The bill requires a “heavy diagram rule” to distinguish office blocks.

This is a draft bill, and it could—and likely will — change before the Assembly votes on it on December 19.

Perhaps more importantly, there are no assurances that the State Senate is prepared to adopt the Assembly’s ballot design plan.