Andy Kim Sues to Block Preferential Treatment on Ballots in Senate Race

February 26, 2024

Representative Andy Kim, a Democrat running for Senate in New Jersey against the state’s first lady, filed a federal lawsuit on Monday that seeks to redesign the ballot before June’s contentious primary election, arguing the current layout unfairly benefits candidates supported by party leaders.

The complaint aims to topple New Jersey’s longstanding ballot-design process, which is unique to the state, by asserting it violates the constitution and permits voters to be “cynically manipulated.”

The legal maneuver is a direct attack on the governor’s wife, Tammy Murphy, who is Mr. Kim’s chief opponent in the Democratic primary and is likely to benefit most from the way ballots have traditionally been designed in 19 of the state’s 21 counties.

And it is certain to intensify public debate over the use of “the line,” the preferential ballot position that allows party leaders to bracket their preferred candidates for all races in a prominent column or row. Unendorsed candidates appear off to the side, in a nearby row or at the ballot’s edge, a location commonly referred to as “ballot Siberia.”

The New York Times, February 26, 2024

A recent study conducted by Julia Sass Rubin, a professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers, examined 45 congressional and Senate races in New Jersey between 2002 and 2022. The study found that on average, county-endorsed candidates placed in the line enjoyed a 38-point advantage.

Recent Posts

NJSPL – Industry Employment Growth in NJ

By Will Irving Unpredictability has been one of the defining features of New Jersey’s labor market for much of the last two years. As the state’s unemployment rate climbed to among the highest in the nation, payroll employment continued to grow steadily before slowing...

MPP Alum Part of WaPo Pulitzer Prize Winning Team

Emily Guskin, MPP '09 and her colleagues at The Washington Post were recently recognized with a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for their immersive series on the AR-15 rifle in American politics and culture. She is also a 2006 alumnus of the University of...

EJB Talks with Alumnus Christopher Black PH ’09

From Public Health to Pharma Professional: Alumus and Advisory Board Member Christopher Black EJB (PH) '09 This week on EJB Talks Stuart Shapiro talks to public health alumnus Christopher Black, Ph.D. Also a member of the Bloustein School Advisory Board who now works...

Transferring Lessons From the Cricket Field to the Classroom

by Sharon Waters for Rutgers Today As a professional cricket player and coach, Rutgers senior Deep Joshi learned the importance of teamwork, which helped him succeed in the classroom, as well as on the field. “Cricket is a team game of 11 players where they need to...

Dean Shapiro: Ensuring Biden’s Regulations Survive

How to ensure that Biden’s environmental and labor regulations survive The Biden administration has released a bevy of regulations over the past month. These include environmental regulations limiting “forever chemicals” and requiring power plants to reduce carbon...

Upcoming Events

Bloustein School Convocation

Jersey Mike's Arena 83 Rockefeller Road, Piscataway, NJ, United States

The formal BLOUSTEIN SCHOOL CONVOCATION ceremony will recognize each graduate individually with pomp and circumstance.  Students will cross the stage and have their names read as they are recognized. Seating is general […]