While New Jersey is the only state in the country where county political parties can endorse primary candidates and enable them to receive preferential ballot treatment, a new Fairleigh Dickinson University poll found most voters oppose the system.
Released Nov. 15, the survey of 801 residents found at least 65% of New Jerseyans (61% of Democrats and 68% of Republicans) believe county-level parties should stay out of the balloting process.
In New Jersey, endorsed candidates, also known as the “county line” or “party line,” are presented on the ballot in a prime location, generally in one of the first columns or rows.
Ballot Placement
Other candidates, including independent write-ins, are typically placed in other columns or rows, sometimes far away from the county line candidates. And, although voters are free to choose whomever they like in the primary election, cues like the official endorsement and the placement of a candidate are powerful, especially in a primary.
Of New Jersey’s 21 counties, Salem and Sussex are the only ones that do not structure primary ballots around candidates backed by the local Democratic or Republican parties.
Party Influence
“The big question isn’t whether voters like the current system,” said Dan Cassino, a professor of politics and government at the university, “It’s whether it’s a voting issue for people. If it’s not driving people to vote differently, it’s going to be hard to convince parties to give up this kind of influence.”
In other states, primary ballots are organized around the electoral position being sought, such as governor or senator, with candidates listed beneath or immediately to the right of each electoral position.
Cassino said, “For most of the country, the era of strong parties ended a long time ago. But, that doesn’t mean that politics have gotten better since the parties in most places stopped being able to pick candidates.”
Key Findings
The FDU poll found support for the use of political endorsements to design primary ballots was highest among Black and Asian voters, with 29% and 30%, respectively, saying they’re in favor of the role played by county parties. Only 18% of white voters and 17% of Hispanic voters back the current system, however.
Support also varied by location, the poll found. For instance, 31% of Essex County voters believe the county party should officially influence the primary, compared with 13% in Bergen and Passaic counties and 9% in Monmouth County.
“In counties like Essex, voters have seen benefits from the county government, so they may be less inclined to limit the party,” said Cassino. “If voters like and trust the county party, they’re not going to be interested in reducing its power.”
Calls For Change
However, Cassino noted, there are calls for change in New Jersey, mainly from progressive Democrats, who have long argued that the structure gives party-backed candidates an unfair advantage and the reason why “off the line” candidates rarely succeed.
A 2020 report from New Jersey Policy Perspective, a non-partisan think tank, also said the design also increases voter confusion and contributes voters improperly filling out ballots.
The system is also the subject of a federal lawsuit filed by a group of former political candidates and the New Jersey Working Families party, who allege that it violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments, as well as the U.S. Constitution’s elections clause.
