New Jersey county clerks and political bosses seek to preserve party-backed ballot placement in June primary

Warning of potential “electoral chaos” in New Jersey, 17 county clerks are seeking to block a federal judge’s Friday ruling that ordered counties to redesign their ballots in the upcoming June Democratic primary so that party-backed candidates no longer get preferential positions.

In addition, the Camden County Democratic Committee wrote a letter Saturday to U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi, informing him that it intended to join the clerks’ request.

And the Morris County Republican Committee, in a third filing, sought confirmation that Quraishi’s ruling would apply to only Democratic candidates, and not Republicans. (In a docket entry Saturday night, the judge confirmed that the ruling will apply only to Democratic candidates.)

New Jersey’s unique “county line” system allows county parties to bracket endorsed candidates together in prime ballot spots while exiling other candidates to what is colloquially known as “ballot Siberia.” In some counties, local party bosses single-handedly decide which candidates get highlighted.

Quraishi on Friday sent shockwaves through the state’s electoral system by requiring a level playing field for endorsed candidates and outsiders in the June primary.

“The integrity of the democratic process for a primary election is at stake,” Quraishi wrote in his 49-page opinion.

» READ MORE: N.J. must redesign ballots after a judge rules against the system that long favored party-backed candidates

The lawsuit challenging the existing system was filed in February by U.S. Rep. Andy Kim (D., N.J.), who was locked in a primary battle with New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy to replace U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez. Murphy, at the time, had the backing of many party leaders, and likely would have received the favorable ballot placement. She suspended her campaign a week ago.

On Friday evening, a lawyer representing the county clerks asked Quraishi to postpone the order while they appeal the ruling.

“[I]mplementing an entirely new style of ballot in five business days presents an undue risk to the administration of this year’s primary elections,” wrote lawyer Rajiv Parikh, referring to next week’s printing deadline for ballots.

“[T]his court’s order could result in electoral chaos, however unintended, if not stayed pending appeal,” Parikh wrote.

Kim, ironically, was offered “the line” across much of the state after Murphy dropped out of the race. He nonetheless hailed the judge’s ruling to end the system that benefited incumbents and party machines.

“It’s a victory built from the incredible grassroots work of activists across our state who saw an undemocratic system marginalizing the voices of voters, and worked tirelessly to fix it,” Kim said in a statement. “While fixing this unfair ballot system is a massive step forward toward perfecting our democracy, there is still work to be done.”

» READ MORE: What you need to know about the federal court ruling against ‘the county line’ in N.J. elections

Some political observers cautioned that removing the moderating influence of county parties could, in some cases, benefit far-right or far-left candidates.

For instance, if local GOP parties have less influence, “the concern there is that New Jersey’s candidates move further to the right because of the Trump base,” said William J. Caruso, a public affairs consultant, lawyer, and former staffer to several New Jersey Democratic elected officials.

Antoinette Miles, state director of the progressive New Jersey Working Families Party, called it a “historic ruling” that would make candidates more answerable to voters, “not corporate special interests who control the awarding of the line.”

On Saturday evening, a lawyer for the Burlington County clerk informed the court that the clerk was withdrawing from the appeal, and would instead “take steps to comply with the order and educate voters on the new ballot design.”

Staff writer Jeremy Roebuck contributed to this article.