Residents don't like how NJ sets up voting ballots by political party, poll shows

Fewer than one in five residents support the use of political endorsements to give candidates preferential placement on primary ballots, shows a poll from Fairleigh Dickinson University. 

While most primary ballots in America are organized around the offices being sought, most New Jersey counties block groups of candidates based on political party endorsements. Candidates nominated for primary election by local Democratic or Republican organizations are aligned on a party, or county, line at the fore of a ballot. The others are placed in columns experts often call "Ballot Siberia."

Among respondents statewide, 65% said county-level political party organizations should not be allowed to give endorsed candidates preferential ballot positions. For Bergen County, the rate was 74% and Passaic County saw 86%. In Essex County, however, it was 54%.

“In counties like Essex, voters have seen benefits from the county government, so they may be less inclined to limit the party,” said Dan Cassino, a professor of Government and Politics at FDU. “If voters like and trust the county party, they’re not going to be interested in reducing its power.”

Statewide, the under 30 population gave the most support for party control. Though at 23%, support among that cohort was limited. 

The poll found opposition statewide and across party lines. Republicans were slightly more likely to support continued party control, while Cassino said progressive Democrats were more apt to push for change.

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In spite of the public opposition seen in the poll released on Tuesday, Cassino said effectuating change could be difficult. Residents could nonetheless make it an issue for parties to consider by taking away the perceived advantage and voting off the party lines each June. 

"If it’s not driving people to vote differently, it’s going to be hard to convince parties to give up this kind of influence,” he said. 

Roughly two in three residents support amending New Jersey's election ballot structure to thwart the power of the party-line endorsement, according to a new statewide poll.

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Brett Pugach, a state-based attorney, is among those trying to convince a federal judge to mandate change through a lawsuit challenging New Jersey's election law. Pugach and others claim the ballot practice unfairly allows political parties to stifle competition and control primary elections.

"It's something that's hard to fight politically, that's why the lawsuit is so important," he said Wednesday. "We think it's the best means of actually getting a result."

Some political scientists have argued that political organizations can serve as beneficial gatekeepers, screening candidates to ensure they align with a party ideology and community values. Still, Pugach said that process places undue weight on winning an endorsement from a county committee or its political boss over primary voters.

"The fact that these laws continue to exist despite their large-scale rejection by so many voters across every demographic and across the entire political spectrum, including voters who identify with both major parties as well as unaffiliated and independent voters, is proof-positive of a fundamental breakdown of democracy and good governance," he said.

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A 2020 analysis of 10 congressional primary races by New Jersey Policy Perspective, a nonpartisan think tank, found the party line system "increases voter confusion." Beyond leading to overvotes and undervotes, "the results suggest that structuring ballots around the county line impacts election outcomes by steering voters toward specific candidates," it found.

FDU officials said the poll was conducted between Oct. 24 and Nov. 1. There were 801 respondents, and the results were later weighted to align with state population characteristics.

The question read: "New Jersey is the only state in the country where county political parties can officially endorse candidates in primary elections and give those candidates preferential placement on the ballot, helping them win. What do you think? Should county parties be allowed to favor some candidates in primary elections?"