Rush, Candidate for NJ’s 2nd Congressional District, announces new lawsuit

February 26, 2024
News Release

Today, Carolyn Rush (Congressional candidate for NJ-02) joined Andy Kim (NJ candidate for U.S. Senate), and Sarah Schoengood (Congressional candidate for NJ-03) to file a complaint against nineteen (19) county clerks who utilize a party column ballot design in connection with New Jersey’s primary elections.

Plaintiffs are asking the Court to prohibit the use of ballots designed by columns or rows, rather than by the office sought. This ballot design, often referred to as the County Line Ballot, unconstitutionally disadvantages the candidates who are not placed on the County Line . The request is to enjoin the Defendants from implementing and carrying out unconstitutional practices preliminarily (for the 2024 Primary) and permanently.

Ms. Rush was harmed by the County Line Ballot when she ran in the 2022 Midterm election for the Congressional Seat in NJ-02 because the county clerk did not list her name prominently as her opponent’s in 4 of the 6 counties that make up NJ-CD2. Her 2022 loss to Tim Alexander was within the margin of error identified in the scientific reports from Plaintiffs’ experts. She believes she will be harmed again if the County Line Ballot practice is utilized during the 2024 election.

“When NJ’s County Committees get together ahead of primaries to decide who they want to win, then arrange their preferred candidates on the ‘county line’, they create an unfair advantage for their preferred candidates. When voters look at the ballot, they often just vote for everyone whose name is on the ‘county line’. Sadly, the County Committee does not always pick the most qualified candidates. They sometimes pick the candidate with the most money or the most influential family and friends. Good candidates, and their supporters, are frequently overlooked due to the constitutional violation known as the ‘county line’! It’s long past time to abolish the County Line in NJ,” said Rush.