The Assembly Select Committee on Ballot Design, having concluded its public hearings, met on Thursday and heard testimony on A-5116 to modify primary ballots to comply with the U.S. District Court ruling that deemed New Jersey’s primary ballot design unconstitutional. The committee is scheduled to meet on Monday to consider the legislation.
A-5116 makes various changes to the design of primary election ballots used in New Jersey and the procedures for ordering the names of candidates on such ballots. The bill requires primary election ballots to be arranged in office block format and establishes minimum uniform design features to be used in designing ballots in the State. It prohibits primary election ballots from:
- Being designed in a way that separates any one candidate from other candidates running for the same office.
- Places a candidate with candidates for a different office.
- Awards ballot position to a candidate based upon the draw for ballot position conducted for a candidate for a different office.
The bill requires the Division of Elections to submit a one-time report to the Governor and the Legislature concerning the experiences of county and municipal clerks and county boards of elections regarding the provisions of the bill.
Based on the testimony, the sponsors are likely to consider amendments to the bill before Monday’s committee session. The League will continue to monitor the hearing and report as appropriate.
Contact: Paul Penna, Senior Legislative Analyst, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x110.