Appeals court bars county line in NJ Democratic primary, says 'ballot Siberia' discriminates

A federal appeals court Wednesday upheld a decision blocking the county line system from being used on ballots in New Jersey’s Democratic primary election this year.

Bill Tambussi, the lawyer for the Camden County Democratic Committee, had argued that voters would be confused without the county line. It was an argument the three appellate judges rejected, saying there was no evidence that is true. The Camden Democratic organization had also argued the county line enables candidates to demonstrate their affiliation with one another, and should be protected under the First Amendment right to association.

“Even apart from its placement, the county line itself carries weight, as it visually signals to voters the candidates whom the county’s political leadership favors and typically includes ‘incumbents, other highly-recognizable names, and party elites’” they wrote in their opinion, quoting Kim’s complaint.

Kim filed the lawsuit after his chief rival in the senate race, First Lady Tammy Murphy, received endorsements from the leaders of the state’s largest Democratic Party county organizations. She was expected to appear on the line in counties that have the largest number of Democratic voters.

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