Turnout up modestly in 2019 – Politico
Congratulations, New Jerseyans of 2019: You’re not the most apathetic voters of all time. Just the second most.
The numbers aren’t final yet, but based on what I’ve seen so far on county clerk websites, New Jersey’s voter turnout in the 2015 election was between 25 and 26 percent. I compiled the figures Thursday afternoon, when some absentee ballots had yet to come in, and before provisionals were counted. So it will likely tick up a little bit, but not much.
Turnout this year was three to four percentage points higher than the last comparable election four years ago, when it bottomed out at 22 percent.
So it looks like the state’s vote-by-mail law only resulted in a modest expansion of the electorate this year, if indeed that is the reason for it. There’s no question more people voted by mail — well over twice as many as in 2015, and more even than in 2017. But it looks like not that many people who typically vote in presidential years and federal mid-terms but not in off-year elections decided that they’d vote this year just because they got a ballot in the mail.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “He’s failed the people here. You would think his rhetoric would lead to positive environmental actions. Here, it’s anything but.” — Kearny Mayor Alberto Santos, a Democrat, on Kearny’s push to close the Keegan Landfill
PROGRAMMING NOTE — I’ll be on vacation for the next week. Ryan Hutchins will fill in for me, so please be nice to him.
WHERE’S MURPHY? — In Atlantic City for a 10;30 a.m. speech at the NJEA convention
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — The Record’s Ashley Balcerzak, CHP’s Sister Pat Codey, AMG’s A.J. Sabath. Saturday for BurlCo Freeholder Balvir Singh, Assembly Dems’ Nicole Brown, KZG’s Beth Dohm, NJLCV’s Lee Clark Phillipsburg Councilman Lee Clark, NCBJ’s Chris Stark. Sunday: state Sen. Joe Vitale, former Star-Ledger reporter Josh Margolin
COMMA, HALF MEASURE — “Phil Murphy preaches environmental justice, but some of his actions tell a different story,” by The Record’s Scott Fallon: “Members of the Ramapough Lenape tribe in Upper Ringwood were optimistic when Gov. Phil Murphy was elected two years ago, because he spoke passionately about bringing environmental justice to lower-income and minority communities, which often endure a disproportionate amount of pollution. They believed that he would reverse former Gov. Chris Christie’s support for a federal plan to keep tons of contaminated soil next to their neighborhood and instead call for having the soil hauled off to a licensed landfill. That never happened. Instead, the Murphy administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in May signed off on a $21 million legal settlement with the Ford Motor Co. that leaves the pollution in place. It had been dumped there from a Ford plant … Ringwood is one of several examples across New Jersey where Murphy’s rhetoric about environmental justice doesn’t always match his actions … From the mountains of Passaic County to the marshes of the Meadowlands, residents and some local leaders have fought the Murphy administration on everything from removing toxic waste and closing a state-owned landfill to blocking plans for a state-owned power plant. Those conflicts run counter to environmental justice policies developed in recent years by the federal government and several states — including New Jersey — to ensure that lower-income and minority communities are no longer burdened with excessive amounts of pollution.”
MURPHY MIDTERMS — “How Gov. Murphy helped Republicans win,” by The Star-Ledger’s Tom Moran: “The gift he gave to Republicans in this election was to remind voters that Democrats are likely to raise taxes … it was another rookie mistake by our sophomore governor, because it sounded like he was telling people to quit whining and accept punishing taxes as a fact of life. Republicans saw an opportunity and pounded it over and over, especially in the swing districts they were worried about losing, like Bramnick’s in Union County … Murphy then helped more by purchasing $2 million in TV ads featuring his face, barnstorming in suburban districts where he’s deeply unpopular, and even claiming credit for his imaginary fix of NJ Transit’s woes. The bottom line in this election is that Democrats missed an opportunity and lost some ground.”
Coughlin doesn’t blame Murphy for Democrats’ losses, by POLITIO’s Matt Friedman: Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin said Thursday he doesn’t blame Gov. Phil Murphy for Democrats losing three seats in the state Legislature in Tuesday’s election, contrary to what Senate President Steve Sweeney had said a day earlier. “I think this race wasn’t about Phil Murphy. I think the race was about the candidates and about the agenda that we have advanced in the Legislature,” Coughlin said during a panel discussion on NJTV’s “On the Record with Michael Aron,“ recorded at a post-election luncheon hosted by the lobbying firm Princeton Public Affairs. Coughlin’s refusal to blame the Democratic governor and his push to raise taxes ran counter to Sweeney‘s own take on the election results. Sweeney told NJ Advance Media on Wednesday that the “problem” was that “when we have an administration that only talks about raising taxes every day, it’s not helpful.”
GENERALLY SMALLER MAJORITY — “GOP 1st District team relax, assess after big wins Election Day,” by The Daily Journal’s Joseph P. Smith: “Votes out of Cumberland County assured Tuesday night’s Republican sweep of the Democratic incumbents in New Jersey’s 1st Legislative District, a surprise for both parties and their candidates. A day later, the winners said they believe negative ads and mailers from the Democratic side backfired on the incumbents. ‘All of the negative mail pieces that were done by the Democrat Party,’ Senator-elect Michael Testa Jr. said on Wednesday. ‘I think that myself, (Assembly candidates) Erik Simonsen, and Antwan McClellan really ran an issues-oriented, fact-based campaign. And it obviously resonated with the voters.’ On the Republican side, the hope was to be competitive in Democratic-leaning Cumberland. Strong performances in Cape May and Atlantic counties were to provide the winning margins. Instead, in the marquee contest, Testa beat Democratic Sen. Robert Andrzejczak in Cumberland County with 10,440 votes to 9,921 votes. Vote totals remain unofficial until certified by county government.”
MR. JONES AND ME — ”Amid Warring post-election storylines, Currie and Jones teams talking,” by InsiderNJ’s Max Pizarro: “They were in dialogue with each other, the teams connected to Democratic State Party Chairman John Currie and Essex County Democratic Committee Chairman Leroy Jones, trying to figure out where this was going as the party bears down on December and the usual time for a convention to pick the chairman. Was it going nuclear? Or could they negotiate a deal? The first option would mean casaulties, starting with the reputations of both principals. Even the winner would be the charred remains of the man formally known as John or Leroy. There was already word of a delivered package. And the friendly follow up: We really don’t need to go there, do we? No, they don’t, was the implication.”
TOTAL COINCIDENCE THAT THIS IS JUST AFTER THE ELECTION — Lawmakers promise action on driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants, by POLITICO’s Katherine Landergan: Several lawmakers promised Thursday to move forward during the lame-duck session with a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. “For months we have heard that once the election was over this issue would be dealt with. It’s time.” said Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) as he stood with hundreds of activists who rallied in front of the Statehouse. The bill, NJ S3229 (18R) was introduced last year but has not advanced out of committee in either house despite having nine sponsors in the state Senate and 30 in the Assembly, as well as the backing of Gov. Phil Murphy. But the issue is a politically potent one, and many in Trenton believed the Assembly did not want to consider the bill until after the elections. Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex) has said the bill is a “work in progress” and hasn’t fully committed to moving it. State Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester) has endorsed the measure.
OTHER CITIES URGED NOT TO REPLICATE ANY OTHER PART OF JERSEY CITY POLITICS — “Airbnb lost by a landslide in Jersey City. What went wrong?,” by The Real Deal’s Sylvia Varnham O’Regan: “Bradley Tusk, a political consultant and former campaign manager for Michael Bloomberg said the result may embolden advocates to pursue more legislation and ballot referendums in other areas, a potential headache for the company as it seeks to resolve regulatory issues across the country ahead of its anticipated IPO next year. In addition, Tusk said, the Jersey City result ‘put Airbnb on the defense everywhere and cost them whatever leverage they had left in New York.’ … Fulop, who anticipates listings from commercial operators will now reduce significantly, said the result in his city could have national significance.’We’ve had this morning three major cities larger than Jersey City reach out for information about the ordinance,’ he said.”
—Golden: “Steinhardt deserves the credit for GOP’s mini-resurgence”
—“Will state lawmakers be able to take action this lame-duck session?”
—Judiciary raises red flags on drug court legislation
—Lawmakers plan to try again on bill to ban single-use plastic bags
—“New Jersey could soon compensate those wrongfully put on sex offender list”
—“NJ Transit ‘Innovation Challenge’: How to move crowds in and out of the Meadowlands”
—“Mehta announces Senate bid vs. Bucco”
—“William Moen Jr., elected in 5th District, will be Assembly’s youngest member”
RINOS NO LONGER ENDANGERED — “Is going moderate the best path for NJ GOP in Age of Trump? Results are mixed,” by The Record’s Charles Stile: “Bramnick was preaching a milder version of a Never Trump gospel, an emphasis on decorum and respect, two aspects sorely missing from Trumpworld. Yet he was also making the case that Republicans must return to their moderate roots in the middle if it has any chance of regaining the suburban turf that is now swarming with new Democratic voters — and is a hotbed of Trump disgust … As a candidate who had to sweat it out in a once-reliable Republican district that is now a swing district, Bramnick earned the right to crow. Yet, in a surprising, buck-the-tide night for Republicans — the party picked up one Senate seat, and gained two seats in the Assembly without losing any of their own members — it was clear that the GOP remains mired in an identity crisis. While Trump poses a problem for Republican candidates in the northern, more populous and affluent counties, his bombast and hard-edged nationalism remains popular in the more rural, less populated south Jersey. A one-sized-fits-all Republicanism is not going to last.”
CAN MARK ZUCKERBERG PAY THEIR SALARIES? — “Booker spends more on staff salaries than all Democrats running for president,” by NJ Advance Media’s Jonathan D. Salant: “Of Booker’s $14 million in expenditures through Sept. 30, 51 percent, or $7.1 million, went for salaries, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The spending reflects Booker’s priorities, in which he has invested heavily in field operations in the early primary and caucus states. Many other candidates have raised more money than Booker and have spent more than him on staff. But Booker is the only candidate to spend more than half of his cash on salaries.”
—Mulshine: “Christie Whitman on Donald Trump: Hasn’t she done enough damage to the GOP?”
—“Andy Kim to host town hall forum on Alzheimer’s disease”
—“Group that helped Ocasio-Cortez endorses Spezakis”
—FEMA postpones flood insurance rate revamp amid backlash
— Feds: We were wrong on sand-dredge ban in south New Jersey
MORAL DEBT — “Schools ‘in a bind’: Here are the decisions facing NJ schools as lunch debt becomes growing issue,” by The Record’s Hannan Adely: “A New Jersey congregation was so moved by stories of students who couldn’t afford school lunch or were singled out for debt that they dedicated more than $20,000 in offerings on a recent Sunday to five school districts … The donations came amid a flurry of complaints about ‘lunch shaming’ — in which students have had their hands stamped, were told they couldn’t graduate or were denied hot lunch because of food debts … The controversies underscore a growing problem for many districts: how to collect thousands of dollars in unpaid debt from families with financial troubles or those who have neglected to pay. School officials say they try to help families facing hardships but also need to pay the bills.”
MANY WERE DISAPPOINTED TO LEARN THERE WAS NO CHICKEN SANDWICH — “Hundreds wait in long lines for vaccines during [Somerville] hepatitis A scare,” by NJ Advance Media’s Michael Sol Warren: “For the second day in a row, hundreds of people lined up in downtown Somerville to get a free hepatitis A vaccine. The crowd of people waited outside the Somerset County Department of Health building on Thursday afternoon, brought together by worry and caution after a deli employee at the Somerville ShopRite was confirmed to have contracted the disease.”
IN AN EXTREMELY DENSE AREA WHERE YOU CAN EASILY GET TO THE NEXT TOWN — “Jersey City could be the first city in New Jersey to ban flavored vaping products,” by The Jersey Journal’s Joshua Rosario: “Jersey City could soon become the first city in New Jersey to ban the sale of flavored electronic cigarettes. City Council members Joyce Watterman, Denise Ridley and Jermaine Robinson plan to introduce legislation that would ban certain vaping products at the next council meeting Nov. 14. ‘The (Centers for Disease Control) has stated that the increased number of lung illnesses that have been recently documented is related to the inhalation of vaporized THC and nicotine products in children,’ Watterman said.’“It is our hope that by placing this ban, our children will be less likely to be enticed into using any electronic smoking devices through the tactic of selling flavors.’”
—“Court administrators file whistleblower suit against [Englewood], claiming racial discrimination”
—“Eatontown GOP, shut out before election, takes 5 seats as Democrats split apart”
—“2 cops who sued [Caldwell] police chief over alleged sexual remarks get $240K in settlements”
SEMIAUTOMATIC ANTI-SEMITE — “N.J. seized this man’s gun because he glorified violence against Jews, cops say,” by NJ Advance Media’s Joe Atmonovage: “Police had been watching David Greco for months, carefully monitoring his online activity. They noted that he often ‘threatened, advocated and celebrated the killing of Jewish people.’ He also was in communication with the man accused of walking into a Pittsburgh synagogue last year and killing 11 people, they alleged. (Greco has denied this.) … On Sept. 6, police once again visited Greco’s home, descending without warning, to seize his gun and ammunition. Unknown to Greco, a Camden County Superior Court Judge Edward McBride had issued a temporary extreme risk protection order earlier that day based on an affidavit regarding Greco’s behavior. The order allowed police to execute a no-knock search warrant of his home and seize one semi-automatic rifle, ammunition and his firearms purchaser ID card.”
—“NJ journalist arrested in Nigeria for pro-democracy protest has trial postponed”
