New Jersey Democratic primary voters will see ballots that look very different from what they are used to and also different from the ones Republican voters will see. County clerks are designing ballots for the June election to comply with the recent federal court...
Topic
Posts
Let’s Keep Focus on “The Line” in NJ Politics
If you’re not in-the-know, The Line is where you want to be on the ballot if you’re running for office in New Jersey. Candidates granted The Line by NJ’s political gatekeepers are almost assured of victory, especially in a primary election. That’s why NJ’s powerful political machines invest so much time and treasure into determining who gets the line and (perhaps more importantly) who doesn’t.
A Senate Candidate Accused of Nepotism Has Another Edge: The Ballot
No New Jersey legislative incumbent chosen to run on the county line in all of the counties he or she represented has lost a primary election since 2009, according to a recent study by a Rutgers University professor, Julia Sass Rubin.
US Senate candidates urged to help end NJ’s ‘party line’ ballot
Nearly every state legislative incumbent who faced a challenge over the last two decades and had the party line in every county won reelection, according to a study by Rutgers University professor Julia Sass Rubin.
Progressives want every Senate candidate from NJ to back a change to state’s ballot designs
Research by Julia Sass Rubin of the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University shows that placement on the county line gives candidates an average of 38% more votes than their competitors, and no state legislative incumbent has lost a primary since 2009 when they’ve been put on the county line.
How big an advantage does winning the party line really deliver?
“You can see the impact that the county line has on both parties in recent legislative races. Over the last few years, three incumbent female legislators lost their primaries after losing the county line in all or some of the counties in their districts.”
Understanding the party line in NJ
“You can see the impact that the county line has on both parties in recent legislative races. Over the last few years, three incumbent female legislators lost their primaries after losing the county line in all or some of the counties in their districts.”
A lawsuit challenging NJ’s uniquely abysmal, toady-rewarding ballot system moves forward
There is a federal lawsuit filed by Pugach and a group of former candidates and advocacy groups that challenge the primary ballot system as unconstitutional, which received a de-facto vote of confidence from a federal judge on May 31, when the court ruled a motion to...
Challengers win right to fight ‘party line’ ballots
In primary elections, some candidates are grouped in a horizontal or vertical line by their county party, such as the Camden County Democrat Committee or Democrats for Change. This is called a “county line” or “party line.” Nineteen out of the state’s 21 counties use...
New Jersey’s primary election ballots are rigged | Opinion
Former Rutgers Law School Dean and Public Advocate Ron Chen and former NJ Attorney General and current Director of Rutgers' Eagleton Institute of Politics John Farmer cite Bloustein School professor Julia Rubin's research on the county line in an editorial about New...
Upcoming Events
Loading view.
2025 Bloustein Alumni Awards Celebration
Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ, United StatesSince 1994, the Bloustein School Alumni Association has aimed to present awards to accomplished alumni each year. Our goal is to pay tribute to alumni and friends to recognize their […]
RAISE 2025 – Our Future With AI: Utopian or Dystopian?
Gov. James J. Florio Special Events Forum, CSB 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ, United StatesInformatics - Data Science - AI Competition Step into the future of innovation! RAISE-25 will challenge you to unravel the scope of AI's impact on our lives and human society. […]
Can We Talk? Addressing Equity and the Impact of Social Determinants on Maternal Health
Bloustein School, Civic Square Building 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ, United StatesPresented by the Bloustein School and Rutgers School of Nursing