Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford) said the general public should have been informed about 6,535 primary mail-in ballots received by the U.S. Postal Service on July 7 but postmarked a day after the primary election.
“Sure. It should have been,” Sweeney said when asked if the existence of the incorrectly-postmarked ballots should have been disclosed. “I think every one of us up here is very concerned about the security of the vote, and you have a president of the United States who’s looking to de-securitize and create an air that the election isn’t going to be legitimate because he’s afraid of losing.”
The existence of the ballots was first made public in a declaration filed by Division of Elections Director Bob Giles on Friday.
Per the filing, USPS informed county boards of elections of the error in communications sent on July 8. Giles was informed of the number of incorrectly postmarked ballots in a July 9 email from a Postal Service official.
Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-Woodbridge) was less willing to say the irregularity should have been disclosed, saying he had not reviewed the filings.
“I’m not going to accept that premise unless we have some proof of that,” Coughlin said. “That said, I think we have to make sure these are as transparent and open in order to ensure the voters of the state of New Jersey have every confidence in the outcome of the election.”
Murphy on Monday said he first learned of the 6,535 ballots some time in the mid-afternoon on Monday, though sources told the New Jersey Globe Giles looped in the governor’s office, the office of the attorney general and county election officials shortly after receiving the July 9 email from USPS.