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How Andy Kim Took on New Jersey’s Political Machine

New Jersey is the only state in the nation with this type of bracketed ballot design. According to Julia Sass Rubin, a public-policy professor at Rutgers, a candidate who gets the line enjoys a double-digit advantage over the competition

Morning Digest: Tammy Murphy, New Jersey’s first lady, drops Senate bid

This system allows parties to give preferential ballot placement to their preferred candidates, putting endorsees in a prominent location while relegating others to less visible spots known as “ballot Siberia.” That design confers an extreme advantage: Rutgers professor Julia Sass Rubin concluded that between 2002 and 2022, candidates on the county line enjoyed an average boost of 38 points.

Kim’s Stunning Senate Run Poised to Further Disrupt NJ Politics

“It’s really difficult for state legislators to have any independence. If they don’t vote the way these folks want them to, they lose the Line, and then they lose their election,” Rubin said.
Kim’s campaign, and his push against the Line, had elevated the primary race from a typical political contest to a symbolic fight over the state’s murky political ethics.

The future of New Jersey politics is on the line

“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.”

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

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.

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