A woman who had been registered to vote in New Jersey for 31 years found herself disenfranchised by the Motor Vehicles Commission after she moved from Hunterdon County to Somerset County last spring, but Superior Judge today ordered that she be permitted to vote.
Superior Court Judge William G. Mennen IV noted that the woman walked into motor vehicles as a voter and left disenfranchised.
“When she went to vote, it either didn’t take effect, didn’t happen for whatever reason,” Mennen said. “The change of address didn’t follow her.”
Mennen asked a representative of the Somerset County Board of Elections about “the prevalence of issues through motor vehicles.”
“Is that still a cause for concern? Mennen asked. “Is that still an issue that the Board of Elections is seeing with some frequency?
Joan Hartman, who works for the board of elections, said it is.
“That has been something we have seen just in the process of going before the judges,” she said. “We have seen some issues with that.”
Deputy Attorney General Matthew Melton read a statement that the woman failed to register to vote and that the Somerset County Board of Elections viewed are as ineligible. He submitted a certification from the motor vehicles department stating that the voter opted out of changing her voter registration.
“The MVC has confirmed that the individual in her first MVC transaction opted to update their address for their voter registration. The MVC has confirmed that if the voter is not currently registered, choosing this option will not register the individual to vote. The MVC has also confirmed that the voter is made aware at the time of the address change that if not registered, it will not register you and provides an opportunity to check your registration status with elections,” Melton said. “The MVC has confirmed that the individual in the in their second MVC transaction clicked it to opt out of the voter registration process.
Liza Weisberg, an attorney at the AFL-CIO, said the “proof submitted here is quintessential evidence of a good faith effort to register to vote.”
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.
