HACKENSACK – Josh Gottheimer convened the press a few weeks ago in Fort Lee to talk about keeping this election safe for poll workers and voters.

On Friday, he did it again. This time he was in the offices of the Bergen County Sheriff.

Mark Musella, the county prosecutor, who was also on hand, summed up the theme of the day this way:

“The safety of our democracy is not a partisan issue.”

Bergen County with almost a million people has a population larger than a handful of states. That suggested election safety here is greater than it is in just about “any other county.”

The CD-5 congressman talked about what’s happening locally and across the nation.

He said he’s spoken to many poll workers who fear what may happen at the polls. Some voters, he said, feel the same way.

The most glaring example of violence occurred in the northwest when ballot boxes were set on fire.

That is not a federal crime. Gottheimer has proposed legislation to make it one.

This was a non-partisan event, but Gottheimer did not shy from bringing up some facts.

He noted that Donald Trump never conceded the 2020 election and, in fact, already has cast doubt on this one.

With about 40 percent of the county, according to polls, in agreement with the former president, the threat of election unrest is real.

Besides the aforementioned legislation to protect ballot boxes, Gottheimer is:

Sending a letter urging Governor Murphy and New Jersey Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State Tahesha Way to immediately adopt FBI and DHS Bulletin recommendations to safeguard election workers from threats.  These recommendations include issuing badges or other identification for poll workers to display while working, ensuring polling places have a security plan that takes full accountability of visitors, and conducting periodic checks of these security procedures to make sure they are working.

He is also asking FBI Director Christopher Wray and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to increase their cooperation with New Jersey state election and law enforcement officials to immediately deploy additional resources to protect election workers and polling sites.
Finally, these new steps build on Gottheimer’s previously announced Election Integrity Strategy, which includes:

The bipartisan Election Worker and Polling Place Protection Act in the House that will help expand protections for election workers and polling locations against threats of violence and harassment.
The bipartisan Protect Our Local Workers Act – or POL Workers Act – to ensure that the already-funded Help America Vote Act or HAVA grants can be utilized for physical security for election workers and polling places.
Moreover, Gottheimer is supporting state Sen. Brian Stack’s bill in the New Jersey Legislature, which makes it a crime to intimidate, threaten, or coerce any election official or election worker in the discharge of their duties.
Regarding the fires set in Washington state, there are many ballot lock boxes in New Jersey, all of which are monitored by a camera.

Still, the congressman said:

“You have to be concerned about copycats.”