The “Hot Mess” of New Jersey’s election ballots

July 1, 2020

New Jersey is holding its first statewide vote-by-mail primary on July 7th.  Even though COVID-19 has made 2020 a difficult and unusual election year all over the country,  the Garden State has its own unique problems that predate the pandemic.

A coalition of activists, election lawyers, researchers, and public policy experts say the state has the most convoluted ballot design in the whole country. 

“I am not seeing anything that even closely resembles what we do,” said Julia Sass Rubin, professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.  She collected ballot samples from multiple counties in all 50 states. 

The Gothamist, June 30, 2020

Recent Posts

Risk Analysis Celebrates Distinguished Prof. Greenberg

Michael Greenberg: Master Synthesizer of Risk, Public Health, and Public Policy by Joanna Burger & Karen W. Lowrie Michael Greenberg is an extraordinary researcher, teacher, and pioneer who has combined his broad knowledge and expertise in environmental...

STEM Pathways are a Two-Way Street, Not a “Leaky Pipeline”

A new article in the Journal for STEM Education Research challenges the longstanding “leaky pipeline” narrative that has shaped U.S. education and workforce policy for decades. The article, “Reconceptualizing College STEM Pathways: Is ‘Leaving STEM’ the Problem?”, was...

NJSPL: New Jersey’s New E-Bike Laws – What Comes Next?

New Jersey’s New E-Bike Laws: Safety, Impact, and What Comes Next Leigh Ann Von Hagen & Gabrielle Cain In recent years, e-bikes have become an increasingly popular form of micromobility, which are small, lightweight transportation devices designed for short trips...

Heldrich: Aligning NJ’s AI Policy with Small Business Needs

Researchers at the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, with funding from the New Jersey State Policy Lab, are currently engaged in a project to examine how New Jersey’s public Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiatives can better align with the evolving needs of...

EJB Talks: Planning, Policy, Politics, and the Path to Office

Planning, Policy, Politics, and the Path to Office with Assemblywoman Katie Brennan This week on EJB talks, Dean Stuart Shapiro talks to Bloustein alumnus Katie Brennan MCRP '12, now an Assemblywoman in New Jersey's 32nd District. Katie reflects on how her early...