“You’re going to start seeing a lot more bravery by legislators and you’re going to see primary challengers that are more successful,” said Sass Rubin, the Rutgers professor. “So you’re going to have more accountability.”
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Video: Will We See an End to NJ’s Party Line?
David Cruz talks with Julia Sass Rubin (Bloustein School, Rutgers) about Rep. Andy Kim’s party line lawsuit, being an expert witness in the case & history impact of the line
Democrats are campaigning on protecting democracy. In N.J., what that means is complicated.
Candidates not on the line “look illegitimate” when they are not grouped with other candidates, Rubin said in a recent phone interview. “They’re off in ballot Siberia.”
Maplewood Dems Questioned ‘County Line’ Years Ago; Now It’s Big News
Ultimately, says Rubin, because party chairs and/or party insiders have the power to determine who goes on the county line, “Elected officials become beholden to a few party insiders, not to the voters.”
Op-Ed: Three reasons why NJ should cut the ‘county line’ from ballots
For example, Professor Julia Sass Rubin from Rutgers University has argued that the county line system impacts elections by “steering voters towards specific candidates” and “increases voter confusion, contributing to overvotes and undervotes” by as much as 50 percentage points in some races.
Too late to change ballots NJ’s political bosses use to sway elections? Judge pushes back.
The defense cross-examined Sass Rubin, asking her whether she could specify whether the races she analyzed could have been affected by name recognition of the candidate, or the amount of money spent on the race.
“Potentially,” Sass Rubin said. “But you’re seeing the same pattern being on the county line and having the same results across 45 races.”
Primary ballot in N.J. is ‘unconstitutional,’ state attorney general says
“We are the last of the [political] machine states, and the machine relies on the county line to stay in control,” Rubin told The Washington Post on Monday. “If you displease the people who decide who gets the line,” you could lose your office, she said.
Op-ed:The time has come to abolish the line
Professor Julia Sass Rubin has studied the impact of the line on election outcomes and policy. One of her studies found that the line conferred an average 35 percentage point advantage in primaries.
A Chance to End the Party Machine’s Undemocratic Control in New Jersey
One study by Rutgers University [written by Professor Julia Sass Rubin] found that being granted the line gives congressional candidates a 38-point advantage. Though party machines dominate other states, too, this particular method of control is unique to New Jersey. One expert described it as that “special New Jersey sauce.”
Who Picks Your Politicians?
“Elected officials are aware of the importance of the line for their reelection and the power of county party chairs to award the line,” wrote Rubin. “If an elected official does not do as the county chair wants, they can lose the line and almost surely lose the primary, ending, or severely curtailing their political careers.”
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