Judge orders bi-lingual ballots in Dover

A Superior Court Judge today ordered Morris County Clerk Ann Grossi to print vote-by-mail and machine ballots in both English and Spanish in Dover, one of thirteen New Jersey municipalities with a Hispanic majority.

Grossi refused to provide Dover, which is 69.4% Hispanic, with bi-lingual ballots during a hotly contested 2018 Democratic primary.

Judge Stuart Minkowitz issued his order one day after a state appellate court overturned a ruling he made last June.

Minkowitz’s order applies only to primary elections, opening the door to another challenge if Grossi refuses English and Spanish ballots for the general.

“This decision is not just a victory to for the civil rights of Hispanic voters in Dover and Morris County; rather, it is a victory for democracy and the principles that make us, as a nation of immigrants, a beacon of light, respect, and freedom in the world,” said Dover Democratic municipal chairman Edward Correa, who brought the suit against Grossi.