Inquirer Editorial: It's time to drop legal hurdles

A federal appeals panel in Philadelphia may have put Olympian Carl Lewis back on the ballot for a state Senate seat, but it did not end confusion over his residency.

That's OK, though. After all, it's the Legislature's job to bring some clarity to the state's murky residency requirements for political candidates.

In the meantime, voters in the Eighth District can decide for themselves whether they think Lewis, a Democrat, has been around long enough to be their senator.

Unfortunately, voters have seen a campaign based more on the legal battles over Lewis' residency than a discussion by him and incumbent Republican state Sen. Dawn Marie Addiego of the issues that affect their lives.

With only weeks to go before the campaigning ends, voters deserve to hear the candidates' answers to pointed questions about how they'll deal with the state revenue crunch, overhaul education, create jobs, and protect the environment.

That is why Republicans appealing the court's decision should back off and let voters make an informed choice between Addiego, a former Evesham Township committeewoman and Burlington County freeholder, and Lewis, a nine-time Olympic gold medal winner making his first run for elected office.

The court's decision Tuesday rested on New Jersey officials' failure to show a "compelling state interest" in applying a four-year residency requirement for state Senate candidates. It did not rule on whether that requirement was constitutional.

Questions raised in months of court hearings included whether the four-year requirement means a Senate candidate must live in New Jersey four years in a row, or a total of four years, or the four years immediately before being sworn into office.

Lewis' situation certainly raises questions. He voted in a 2009 California election, although he says it was by an absentee ballot. He has owned homes in the Burlington County district since 2005, and has long been considered an active member of the Willingboro community.

Voters can take all of that information and figure it out, if they really care about Lewis' residency. Most likely, they care more about which candidate can best represent their interests in Trenton.

It's time to get this election out of the courts and let the Legislature clarify the residency rules later.

Perhaps, the Eighth District winner could sponsor the bill.