DOVER – Third Ward Councilwoman Karol Ruiz believes the party lines contribute to complacency in public life and convince elected officials to more keenly observe the edicts of party than people.

It’s time to detonate them.

“I think it’s a dumbing down of our society, complicated by a lack of civic education,” Ruiz told InsiderNJ. “Bracketing is helpful and I would love for us to work together but it can be abused like everything else.”

As the Assembly Select Committee on Ballot Design this morning considers the construction of a 2025 primary ballot to meet a judge’s order, the independent-minded Ruiz wants elected officials to seize on this occasion to restore power to voters.

“A true representative of the people will knock on every door and listen to people and shouldn’t have to ride the coattails of the governor or the president,” said Ruiz, who this year lost her reelection bid.

The money in politics either deadens those who affiliate with the party establishment or requires considerable – even ridiculous – fundraising efforts by those off the line – money which Ruiz argues could probably be better spent as a contribution to a local food pantry. The councilwoman this year set a fundraising record in Dover for a ward candidate with a haul of $17,000.

Ruiz would prefer to see fusion voting, which would enable candidates to accept the nominations of more than one political party – typically, the Republican or Democratic Party (“major” parties) and one or more “minor” parties.

“I’m grateful for the advocates that pushed our election officials to prioritize ballot design,” Ruiz said ahead of today’s Trenton hearing. “I’m hopeful that the result guarantees the rights of challengers, the rights of other political parties, and defends against the power of money in our political system. My campaign team and I had to raise more money than any other candidate ever before for Dover’s Council 3^rd Ward seat, as an independent candidate, just to compete against ‘The Line.’ We had wide support from Democrats, Republicans, and Independent voters. Fusion voting would allow candidates like me to accept the nomination of more than one party and decrease the occurrences of political party bosses using the ballot to puppeteer our local government.”