March 29 (UPI) — Federal Judge Zahid Quraishi Friday eliminated a New Jersey ballot design that gave party-backed candidates an advantage in the June primary.
He granted Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., and two congressional candidates a preliminary injunction that tosses the ballot design known as the county line.
“Today’s decision is a victory for a fairer, more democratic politics in New Jersey. 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.
On X, Kim exulted, “YES! For the people!”
In his ruling Qurashi wrote, “The integrity of the democratic process for a primary election is at stake and the remedy plaintiffs are seeking is extraordinary. Mandatory injunctive relief is reserved only for the most unusual cases. Plaintiffs’ burden on this motion is therefore particularly heavy. Nevertheless, the court finds, based on this record, that plaintiffs have met their burden and that this is the rare instance when mandatory relief is warranted.”
The “county line” is a unique New Jersey election practice in which in 19 of the state’s 21 counties all candidates backed by county political parties are shown in a single row or column.
Kim and the other candidates argued that gives them unfair advantages.
Kim is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Bob Menendez, D-N.J. Menendez is under federal criminal indictment for alleged corruption.
The judge’s decision could be appealed by county clerks named in the lawsuit.
The “county line” ballot design issue came into sharp focus as Kim competed with New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy in the primary, splitting county endorsements roughly evenly.
Murphy dropped out of the race just days before this ballot injunction decision, leaving Kim as the only major Democrat in the primary race.
On March 21, Menendez dropped out of the Democratic primary amid the bribery charges against him. But he would not rule out running as an independent candidate.
