How should New Jersey’s election ballots be designed going forward? The special Assembly Select Committee on Ballot Design this week held its third hearing to get input.
Among those testifying was Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, who himself will be on the ballot this spring in a run for governor. He cited the recent federal court rulings abolishing the current use of the county or “party lines,” which group those endorsed by county organizations.
“[The court] clearly defined what constitutes a fair ballot, and the verdict was unanimously upheld by an appellate court,” he said. “A separate and equal draw, for each candidate, for each office.”
Many who have testified before this committee have supported the office block model that nearly all other states use, and eliminate any groupings or special indicators on it. Julia Sass Rubin, an associate professor at Rutgers University who has studies the county line, said the block model makes sense for New Jersey.
“The [elected] position would be at the top; there would be the names of all the candidates beneath that,” said Rubin. “It would be clear visually for people to look at it and understand what the position is, how many people they should vote for. So the instructions should be at the top. And it would rotate the order of those names by voting precinct, so that way, going first, which we know is an advantage, would not disproportionately benefit anybody.”