The Passaic County Board of Elections is facing a possible lawsuit after rejecting a bid by the county Republican organization to establish enhanced security procedures in advance of the November 4 general election and begin an early canvassing of vote-by-mail ballots.
Republicans want the election board to install security cameras inside ballot storage rooms, implement a two-party lock system to control access to ballots, and post a sheriff’s officer at the board offices to provide 24-hour security.
Also requested: the GOP wants Passaic County to commence opening VBMs five days before Election Day, something other counties under state law.
“These are not radical reforms,” said Mark Semeraro, the counsel to the Passaic County Republican Organization. “They are common-sense safeguards employed by other counties in New Jersey. Bergen and Essex do this and tabulate their election results without delay, unlike Passaic County.”
In a letter to the Board of Elections chairman, John Currie, Semeraro accused the panel of “intentional silence” and “abdication of responsibility.” Currie is the Passaic County Democratic chairman.
“In an age where almost anything imaginable can be obtained at the click of a button with lightning speed, refusing to employ any and all means necessary to ensure a speedy and accurate election result is nothing short of an abdication of responsibility,” Semeraro stated.
Republicans argue that Passaic County has a history of slowly releasing election results, sometimes more than a week after Election Day.
“There is no justification for Passaic County’s failure to engage in the early opening and canvassing of Vote-by-Mail ballots and employing security measures to ensure election integrity,” Semeraro said. “Regardless of political affiliation, New Jerseyans simply deserve to have a speedy and accurate election night.”
