Elected Officials and Former Candidates Call for Abolishing the Line 

“It’s Time to Eliminate the Glass Ceiling for Women in NJ Politics”

MONTGOMERY, NJ — We, a representative and diverse coalition of women in New Jersey politics, are releasing the following joint statement calling for an end to the state’s “party line” ballot system in primary elections. A group of nearly 40 women elected officials and candidates who represent urban, suburban, and rural districts across the state, we constitute the core of the Democratic Party in New Jersey. A full list of the signers is below, and our joint statement follows:

“Today, as we see efforts to curtail access to the ballot in many places across the country, it is imperative that here in New Jersey we strengthen our democratic processes. The state’s county party line system, the only such system in the country, is in itself a form of voter suppression that limits choices, concentrates power in the hands of a few, mostly white, male political leaders, and creates a glass ceiling for women in New Jersey politics. It is long past time to smash it. Studies have shown that getting the endorsement of county party leaders and preferential party-line placement on the ballot provides on average a 38 point advantage in primary elections — over the last two decades, 99% of incumbents who were awarded the line went on to win their state legislative primaries.

The concentration of political power in the hands of a few unelected party elites has a chilling effect not only on political involvement, but also on legislation and state budget priorities as incumbents are pressured not to speak their minds nor vote their conscience lest they risk losing their favorable ballot positioning. This has a particularly negative impact on women candidates and elected officials, especially working class and minority women, who historically have had the least political clout.

We are heartened to see that discussion about the negative impact of the party ballot line is getting more mainstream attention. It’s time for New Jersey to join the other 49 states in the country that use a fair ballot design system and end this archaic and undemocratic practice and abolish the line. As key members of the party that stands up for democracy and fights for free and fair elections, the New Jersey State Democratic Party must adhere to these principles at home and commit to abolishing the line.”

Mercedes Aguirre Valenzuela, Former Council Candidate Wayne (Passaic)

Marlene Baldinger, Councilwoman, Lebanon Borough (Hunterdon)

Staci Berger, Candidate for Mayor of Piscataway (Middlesex)

Jen Blumenstock, Mayor, Borough of Garwood (Union)

Karina Boto, Councilwoman, Borough of Garwood (Union)

Shelley Brindle, Mayor, Town of Westfield (Union)

Jannie Chung, Councilwoman, Borough of Closter (Bergen)

Sheena Collum, Mayor, South Orange Village (Essex)

Jamaine Cripe, Deputy Mayor, Maplewood Township (Essex)

Lauren Dayton, Former Councilwoman, Borough of Tenafly (Bergen)

Kate Delany, Former County Commissioner Candidate (Camden)

Wilda Diaz, Former Mayor, Perth Amboy (Middlesex)

Betsy Driver, Former Mayor, Borough of Flemington (Hunterdon)

Jennifer Ehrentraut, Former Senate Candidate (LD-40)

Alison Fetten, Former Councilwoman, South Bound Brook (Somerset)

Marjorie Fox, Former Council President, City of Summit (Union)

Linda Habgood, Councilwoman, Town of Westfield (Union)

Susan Hairston, Former Councilwoman, City of Summit (Union)

Patricia Henry, Former County Commission Candidate (Bergen)

Valerie Vainieri Huttle, Former Assemblywoman (LD-37)

Emily Jabbour, Councilwoman, City of Hoboken (Hudson)

Sadaf F. Jaffer, Former Assemblywoman (LD-16)

Linda Karlovitch, Mayor, Kenilworth (Union)

Toni Giordano-Picerno, Kenilworth (Union)

Collette J. Kennedy, Former Mayor, Borough of Keyport (Monmouth)

Michele Lee, Mayor, Borough of High Bridge (Hunterdon)

Rhonda C. LeGrice, former Mayor, Atlantic Highlands (Monmouth)

Lisa Mandelblatt, Former Assembly Candidate (LD21)

Clarissa Nolde, Councilwoman, Borough of Garwood (Union)

Nora Radest, Former Mayor, City of Summit (Union)

Ann Marie Peterson, Former Council Candidate, Borough of Hawthorne (Passaic)

Truscha Quatrone, Former Freeholder Candidate (Morris)

Emily Root, Former Councilwoman, Town of Westfield (Union)

Phyllis G. Sank, Former Councilmember, City of Summit (Union)

Dahlia Vertreese, Mayor, City of Hillside (Union)

Joyce Watterman, Council President, Jersey City (Hudson)

Louise Wilson, Former Mayor, Montgomery (Somerset)

Dolores Witko, Former Councilwoman, Closter (Bergen)