Atlantic Dems to VBM vendor: don’t screw up again

Atlantic County Democrats are putting the county’s vote-by-mail ballot vendor on notice that they won’t tolerate another year of mailing delays.

“The delay in mail-in ballots being delivered last fall was inexcusable,” said Atlantic County Democratic Chairman Michael Suleiman. “Today, we’ve put the county’s mail house on notice that there will be consequences if they don’t do the right thing and deliver ballots promptly to voters.”

In 2022, many voters in Atlantic County did not receive mail-in ballots by September 24th, as required by state law. Instead, ballots were not delivered until October 3rd or 4th because of a delay on the part of Universal Mailings in Piscataway.

Democrats believe this holdup caused Atlantic County to have a significantly lower return rate for mail-in ballots.

Earlier this summer, it was also uncovered that the county was not sending ballots using first-class mail, as required by law. Democrats argued that this made voters receive ballots later than they should have; the County Clerk, Republican Joe Giralo, has said that ballots will use first-class mail this year.

Elliott Almanza, an attorney representing the Atlantic County Democrats, told the VBM vendor that they will “carefully monitor the printing, transmission, and mailing of ballots to ensure timely delivery in the upcoming election.”  Almanza gently suggested that Democrats might take legal action if they discover any problems.

The Atlantic County assistant counsel, Anthony Pagano, responded to Almanza in a letter today. That letter clarified that mail-in ballots must be sent on or before 45 days before an election and that the county was satisfied with Universal Mailings in 2022. 

Pagano also focused on Almanza’s comments directed at Universal Mailing. He said that the county was displeased with the Democrats’ decision to single out the vendor, which “could be viewed as a threat to a county contractor.”

“The County considers it to be highly inappropriate and unacceptable for any political organization to engage in direct communications with a contractor that the County has entrusted with an election-related task,” Pagano said in the letter. 

These problems are just the latest examples of the troubles plaguing Atlantic County’s mail-in ballot process.

In 2021, it was discovered that then-County Clerk, Democrat Ed McGettigan, had mailed 544 incorrect ballots in Hamilton Township in 2020.  That led to the unseating of Thelma Witherspoon, who had won by just 286 votes. In the do-over election, conducted under a political climate less favorable to Democrats, she lost to Republican Andrew Parker by a wide margin.

McGettigan retired after it became clear Democrats would not support him for re-election in 2021.  The VBM mail vendor was hired by McGettigan.

Democrats are making a play for legislative seats in the 2nd district and to hold – and maybe gain – some county commissioner seats.

Atlantic County Republican Chairman Don Purdy bashed Suleiman for his statement.

“The Democrat chairman is definitely grasping for straws,” Purdy said. “He doesn’t want to admit that he has shitty candidates and nobody is buying his bullshit anymore.”

This story was updated at 4:58 PM with comment from Pagano and Purdy.