Gender Quota for County Party Committee Ended in Hudson County

Jersey City – For the first time ever, the Hudson County Clerk will print ballots instructing voters to “vote for two candidates” for members of both county party committees instead of “vote for one male and one female,” approving the bracketing requests of six women from three election districts in Jersey City to be grouped in the same column with the slogan “Progressive Democrats of Hudson County.” This is an enormous triumph, not just for these candidates and the voters who support them, but for Hudson County’s transgender and non-binary people who may now access local politics as their true identity.

The Progressive Democrats of Hudson County (PDHC) are grateful to their allies in the Central Jersey Progressive Democrats for their pioneering work on this issue and for the support of Yael Bromberg, Esq. in this achievement. Yael was an attorney of counsel on the April 16, 2021 letter sent to the Hudson Clerk, and successfully argued the precedential case in 2019 and 2020 on behalf of the Central Jersey Progressive Democrats and individual candidates. The result of which broke the ceiling for women to access local office and overturned an outright ban for gender non-conforming candidates in Middlesex County.

Bromberg said, “It is encouraging that hours after receiving our letter, Hudson County agreed to provide equal access to the ballot without the need to resort to litigation. The outdated prescription does not conform with the diversity of Hudson County, and it does not conform with state and federal constitutional law today.”

Patricia Villanueva, Esq., a Weissman & Mintz attorney who was critical in facilitating this effort added, “Growing up in, and being a resident of, Jersey City, I am proud that City and County officials have reflected the diversity and values of its people.”

The Hudson County Clerk chose to follow the precedent established by the Honorable Mary C. Jacobson, A.J.S.C that declared unconstitutional a part of N.J.S.A. 19:5-3 requiring there to be one male and one female seat for the county party committee for each election district. The 2020 ruling, Central Jersey Progressive Democrats et al. v. Flynn, was based in part on the 1997 Hartman v. Covert decision from Burlington County in which a gender quota for chair and vice-chair of the county party was struck down. While Cumberland, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, and Passaic counties have voluntarily ended the gender quota for county party committee seats, the provision remains in Title 19 according to the NJ Department of State and also in the bylaws of the Hudson County Democratic Organization.

“I’m gratified that Hudson County decided to end this antiquated policy which would have limited my access to the ballot,” said Arlene Stein, a long-time activist in Jersey City Heights, professor of sociology at Rutgers University, and PDHC county Democratic committee candidate for Jersey City D-09.

In addition to Stein, the PDHC candidates for county Democratic committee who played a role in this historic moment for the Hudson County progressive movement are:
Eleana Little, candidate for Jersey City E-13, former candidate for district 4 county commissioner who earned 45% of the vote in the 2020 primary
Sarah Ordway, candidate for Jersey City E-13, former president of the Harsimus Cove Association
Elise Nussbaum, candidate for Jersey City D-09, a Jersey City native who works as a financial coach for low-income people
Vera Marino, candidate for Jersey City F-29, a Portuguese immigrant who is taking advantage of her newly acquired citizenship to impact her community
Celeste Ruggia, candidate for Jersey F-29, a Jersey City native whose family is steeped in a tradition of local activism

PDHC’s coordinated campaign manager, Ricardo Rojas, said: “I’m proud that our organization is cultivating leaders who do what’s right and act boldly. Our candidates are not here to ask permission and wait for their turn. We’re not here to beg for a place at a broken table; we’re here to build a bigger table.”

17 of the 22 candidates running with PDHC in Hoboken, Jersey City, and North Bergen are women. With the launch of the Progressive Democrats of Hudson County Continuing Political Committee (PDHC CPC), the organization is poised to act on its promise to recruit, train, and support the next generation of independent progressive leaders.

Looking towards the future, Sarah Ordway said: “While we still have a long way to go to achieve gender equality in Hudson County, I am hopeful that our victory is a permanent step in the direction of justice.”

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About Progressive Democrats of Hudson County: The Progressive Democrats of Hudson County is a chapter of the Progressive Democrats of New Jersey; a grassroots organization dedicated to electing independent progressive candidates and pushing political reform on behalf of the people of Hudson County. We are a diverse, energetic, dedicated coalition that fights for fairness in politics and true justice for all. Since its founding in March of 2020, PDHC has taken root as one of the foremost progressive electoral organizations in the county.

For more information, visit www.pdofnj.com.