Two weeks before the election, Republican officials are threatening a lawsuit in Passaic County over claims local officials failed to adopt stronger security procedures to protect ballots.
Republicans called for installing video cameras where vote-by-mail ballots are stored, creating access logbooks and requiring one Democrat and one Republican to be present during signature verification.
John Currie, chairman of the Passaic County Board of Elections, also serves as chair of the Passaic County Democratic Committee.
Currie and the Passaic County Board of Elections did not immediately respond to a request to comment.
Democrats on the Passaic County Board of Elections blocked the enhanced security measures, state Republican Party Chairman Glenn Paulsen said on social media.
“The fact that the BOE’s chairman also happens to be the county Democratic chairman makes it even worse,” Paulsen wrote.
The New Jersey State Democratic Committee declined to comment and referred questions to the county board of elections.
Passaic County has faced controversy over election fraud allegations in recent years.
In 2020, then-Attorney General Gurbir Grewal launched an investigation into voter fraud involving multiple Paterson City Council members. Paterson is Passaic County’s largest municipality.
Additional voter fraud accusations were made by the state attorney general’s office in April.
“Despite these indictments, the New Jersey Attorney General’s office has proven incapable of prosecuting these matters,” Jason Sena, a lawyer representing the New Jersey Republican State Committee, said in a letter to the federal Department of Justice shared on social media on Monday.
“It is clear that the New Jersey Attorney General’s office is incapable of enforcing the law and protecting the integrity of elections in Passaic County,” Sena said.
The New Jersey Attorney General’s office disputed those claims.
“The state is committed to ensuring the integrity of our elections and protecting the right of every eligible voter to have their vote counted,” said Michael Zhadanovsky, a spokesperson for the state Attorney General’s office.
“The Constitution gives states, not the federal government, the primary responsibility for running elections,” Zhadanovsky added. “It would be highly inappropriate for the federal government to interfere in this November’s state election. We will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that no voter is intimidated and that every eligible voter has their ballot counted on Election Day.”
Passaic County is shaping up to be a key battleground in the state’s gubernatorial election between Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli.
Multiple polls show Sherrill with a lead, but some indicate Ciattarelli has an advantage among independent voters and better chances that his voters will turnout for the election.
Paulsen said turnout will be key in the statewide election.
“We are paying attention, we are vigilant, but the way we are going to win is making it too big to rig,” Paulsen said.
Passaic County, once considered solidly Democratic, is now a swing county. It is one of New Jersey’s most populous counties and one that President Donald Trump won in the 2024 presidential election.
Democrats still hold a voter registration advantage in New Jersey. But the Democrats have lost voters over the past four years, while Republicans have gained.
The number of Republicans has surged statewide since 2021, with the party gaining more than 163,800 voters in the past four years. That is an increase of more than 10%.
Jelani Gibson
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