NJ Plaintiffs to Attorney General: Voting Rights Are Nonpartisan

image
Published: 13 Aug, 2014
Updated: 15 Oct, 2022
1 min read

(Newark, N.J.) -- In July, New Jersey Attorney General John J. Hoffman filed a response in federal court on behalf of the state of New Jersey (including Governor Chris Christie and Secretary of State Kim Guadagno) to an opposition to the state's motion to dismiss a lawsuit defending the rights of voters. The lawsuit asserts that all voters have a fundamental right to equal and meaningful access to all integral stages of the electoral process.

In its response, the state argues that if voters want full participation in the voting process, they should join a political party.

On Tuesday, August 12, the plaintiffs filed a surreply to this argument, pointing out that the state is confusing the real issue at hand "by suggesting that there is an irreconcilable conflict between the individual right to cast a meaningful vote and the right of the Democratic and Republican parties to operate as private organizations."

The plaintiffs argue that, "undamental rights are, by nature, nonpartisan. More plainly, Defendant’s position on the fundamental nature of our electoral system is one that this Court, the State of New Jersey, and every voter in New Jersey should flatly reject: that our rights within the democratic process may be conditioned on membership in one of two private organizations which almost half of all voters have chosen not to associate with."

Read the plaintiffs' surreply:

To read all filings to date, go here.

Photo Source: AP

Latest articles

CA capitol building dome with flags.
Why is CA Senator Mike McGuire Trying to Kill the Legal Cannabis Industry?
California’s legal cannabis industry is under mounting pressure, and in early June, state lawmakers and the governor appeared poised to help. A bill to freeze the state’s cannabis excise tax at 15% sailed through the State Assembly with a unanimous 74-0 vote. The governor’s office backed the plan. And legal cannabis businesses, still struggling to compete with unregulated sellers and mounting operating costs, saw a glimmer of hope....
03 Jul, 2025
-
7 min read
I voted buttons
After First RCV Election, Charlottesville Voters Back the Reform: 'They Get It, They Like It, They Want to Do It Again'
A new survey out of Charlottesville, Virginia, shows overwhelming support for ranked choice voting (RCV) following the city’s first use of the system in its June Democratic primary for City Council. Conducted one week after the election, the results found that nearly 90% of respondents support continued use of RCV....
03 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Crowd in Time Square.
NYC Exit Survey: 96% of Voters Understood Their Ranked Choice Ballots
An exit poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the nonprofit better elections group FairVote finds that ranked choice voting (RCV) continues to be supported by a vast majority of voters who find it simple, fair, and easy to use. The findings come in the wake of the city’s third use of RCV in its June 2025 primary elections....
01 Jul, 2025
-
6 min read