Ensuring Accuracy in New Jersey’s Elections
MONTCLAIR- Voting is the most fundamental right in our democracy. We must ensure the integrity of our voting process so that every person’s vote is counted. The people must have faith in the accuracy of the election process to ensure the future of our democracy. N.J.S.A. 19:61-9 states:
The Attorney General shall appoint each year an independent, professional audit team. It shall oversee, in each county, random hand-to-eye counts of the voter-verifiable paper records that are to be conducted by appropriate county election officials. Audits shall be conducted for each election held for federal or
State office, including the offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor and member of the Legislature…
Since the Division of Elections is no longer within the Office of the Attorney General, but within the Department of State, the Secretary of State is responsible for appointing the audit committee.
Governor Murphy’s Executive Order No.144 mandates all elections that take place on July 7, 2020, shall be conducted primarily via vote-by-mail ballots. That order set in motion the requirements of N.J.S.A. 19:61-9, therefore an audit committee must be appointed, and an audit must be conducted.
The importance of the audit committee is that it provides for transparency and public participation.
Its members are publicly identified, and its deliberations and recommendations are subject to New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act. Conducting audits of election results is essential for the integrity of our elections as audits alert the public and election officials to faults or errors in the system.
In the May 12th election, one in every 10 people who mailed in ballots had their votes rejected, a number higher than in any previous election. 110,087 of the ballots sent in that election were returned, and 11,453 of the returned ballots were rejected.
Governor Murphy has yet to provide an answer to the public with respect to the appointment of an audit committee as required by the statute. The Governor must comply with the law and instruct the Secretary of State to formally appoint an audit committee. An audit must be conducted on the upcoming July 7th Primary and November General Election in order to obtain a complete picture of our elections and ensure ballot integrity.
Voters must know that their ballots are received and counted accurately. We cannot wait until our election system fails us in order to act.
To ensure public trust, the Governor must act now.
This is a step backwards in election security. Have we already forgotten the “hanging chads?”And now we are supposed to trust that a piece of paper will be correctly delivered, handled, and counted by a government that isn’t transparent. Get ready for the biggest case of voter fraud and disenfranchisement in history. Voting can be easily managed with mask wearing, social distancing in line and wiping down voter machines between casting votes. If we can shop, we can vote!