A Superior Court judge has taken an expansive view of New Jersey’s voter registration law, ruling that two men who never formally signed up to vote must still be added to the rolls in advance of next week’s general election.
Judge William G. Mennen IV ordered that a 20-year-old Hunterdon resident who thought registering for the Selective Service System also enabled him to vote be registered as of today.
In a separate hearing, Mennen allowed a Somerset County man to vote this year, even though he had no recollection of having registered to vote.
The Hunterdon man said he was away at school and registered for the Selection Service, saying he “thought that that automatically registered you.”
“The right to vote is a sacred right. It’s a right that’s afforded every United States citizen. This court does everything in its power to facilitate those who wish to vote,” Mennen stated. “It is true that (name withheld) did not meet the strict dictates of the 21-day registration … If not for the 21-day issue, he would be qualified to vote in this election.
Mennen said it was the “court’s predisposition to afford people the right to vote whenever possible.”
Deputy Attorney General Christina Duclos said the Hunterdon County Board of Elections took no position.
The Somerset man said he’d never voted before, but wanted to this year.
“This potential voter has testified credibly. He’s not sugar-coating anything. He’s not attempted to fabricate. He simply indicated he has no recollection of registering to vote yet. He would like to exercise his constitutional right to vote,” Mennen said. “While it’s true that he has not met the strict dictates of the 21-day registration requirement, this court takes the position that the right to vote is a sacrosanct right, and we should use every possible avenue of recourse to avoid disenfranchising a voter.”
Another deputy attorney general, Jessica Lugo, told Mennen that the Somerset County Board of Elections took no position on the application to vote.
Mennen is a Republican who served as a Hunterdon County freeholder and Tewksbury township committeeman before becoming a judge. An heir to the Mennen deodorant fortune, he briefly sought the GOP nomination for State Assembly in 2011 following the death of Peter Biondi (R-Hillsborough).
The New Jersey Globe withholds the names of voters who appear before judges to protect their privacy.
Voters who feel they are being wrongfully disenfranchised have the right to make their case to a judge. This can be done remotely and arranged through the county Board of Elections.
