Superior Court Judge Michael Blee today ordered provisional ballots for two Atlantic City voters to be counted, voided vote-by-mail ballots that he found were cast under duress.
A voter from Atlantic City’s 5th Ward said in court filings that a messenger she did not know pressured her to vote for a city council candidate who was not her choice. During early voting, she went to the polls and cast a provisional ballot that she wanted counted.
Blee agreed.
“I find she was pressured and felt compelled to vote for someone else,” Blee said. “It is, quite frankly, absolutely appalling to this court that the (voters), who have done everything right and are voting in their first election, were subject to this type of behavior, and I admire that.”
The New Jersey Globe is withholding the voter’s name to protect her privacy.
A VBM cast by her husband, who was already planning to vote for the messenger-preferred candidate, was also invalidated; his provisional ballot will be counted.
The claims someone, identified by the court as Carmen Nay, showed up at her home around October 29 and asked if she planned to vote. Then, the following day, she claims a different person – “a middle-aged, heavier-set, African American male” identified by the court as Tyram Bailey.
On Election Day, Superior Court Judge Stanley Bergman, Jr. ordered the VBM and provisional ballots sequestered.
In the 5th ward, Democratic Councilman Muhammad “Anjum” Zia leads Republican Maria Lacca by 13 votes, 441 to 428.
County election officials and the Atlantic County GOP did not object to the request.