New Jersey
Lots of voters defended their right to vote in court lats week. Seven takeaways on the process – New Jersey Globe
In a spectacular display of democracy, record numbers of voters across New Jersey spoke up during early voting, appearing before Superior Court Judges to challenge their possible disenfranchisement — and winning. Sometimes, honest mistakes are made, underscoring the need for voters to self-advocate
After observing a large number of court hearings over the last week — and in advance of Election Day hearings where voters may seek to protect their own right to vote — here are seven takeaways:
1. Voter Registration in New Jersey is not one-size-fits-all. Judges have to apply the law to the facts. Still, since very few voters show up in court with an election lawyer, sometimes identical facts are presented differently by deputy attorneys general and the prospective voter – and interpreted differently by a Superior Court Judge. In one county, a judge allowed a man who registered one day late to vote (not that there’s anything wrong with that), but in other counties, judges strictly followed the statute. |
2. The U.S. Postal Service is erratic regarding returning sample ballots to election officials. In a different era, letter carriers were front line workers who knew their mail route well enough to realize when a voter no longer lived at an address – even when a family member moved out – and returned the sample ballot as undeliverable. That’s not necessarily the case anymore. Some voters turned away from early voting centers in their new county are still registered at their old addresses, while others have been removed from the voter roll in their new county.
3. Arguments by Deputy Attorneys General and rulings by judges, no doubt well-intentioned, were inconsistent. Some judges erred on the side of voters; others did not. Some DAGs pulled from other Division of Law assignments to take an election shift had no idea what they were talking about. Most judges knew what they were doing, but not all. Disenfranchisement was less likely when someone was there to advocate on their behalf; to their credit, lawyers for both parties put the right to vote ahead of partisanship. Among the problems: most hearings involved a would-be voter, a deputy attorney general aiming to prevent them from voting, and a judge.
4. The Motor Vehicles Commission bears some responsibility for the disenfranchisement of voters, and its frightened director, Latrecia Littles-Floyd, ought to be held accountable for not having her act together. Lots of voter registration issues stemmed from the MVC (several judges still refer to them as the DMV). Too many would-be voters told judges they believed they changed addresses at an MVC office when records show otherwise. Some – but not all – judges opted to believe the voter.
5. The lack of understanding of New Jersey election laws by many voters was overwhelming. Most voters rejected by judges – young and old — had no idea there was a voter registration deadline. There was a chilling lack of knowledge on changing voter registrations to new addresses. Some newly minted U.S. citizens were unaware they didn’t automatically become voters.
6. While large numbers of voters appeared before a judge, others likely didn’t know that was an option. It’s statistically unlikely that zero voters challenged their disenfranchisement in Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Salem, Sussex, and Warren counties, but that’s what happened. It’s possible poll workers didn’t tell voters they turned away about their right to appear before a judge; it’s also possible that voters in those counties will have a higher-than-usual number of provisional ballots.
7. There is nothing nefarious going on here. The New Jersey Globe didn’t observe any instances of fraud – just regular people wanting to vote.
New Jersey
Jersey Shore beach roped off to protect nesting birds just in time for Memorial Day weekend
They took them under their wing.
A large stretch of a Jersey Shore beach is roped off to protect a bird’s nest just in time for Memorial Day weekend.
A pair of American Oystercatchers made their home on the sand in Belmar — and New Jersey Fish and Wildlife is prohibiting beachgoers from trespassing in the area to protect them and their eggs, according to NJ Advance Media.
The agency erected signs at 7th Avenue Beach — one of the most popular spots in Belmar — that say “Do Not Enter,” and explain that the area is a nesting area for the shorebirds, which are protected under federal law.
The placards also warn that “harassing these birds, their eggs or their young” can incur a $50,000 fine or jail time.
The birds are not listed as endangered or threatened species in New Jersey, according to Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.
However, their status has been to changed to one of “special concern.”
Many on social media agreed with the agency’s efforts to protect the creatures, which are known for their black and white body and long orange-red bill.
“Love love love this!!!! Beautiful birds! One of my favorite!” one gushed.
“Leave that cute birdie alone people,” another added.
Others thought even more safety precautions were needed.
“We should send a biologist or conservation police to guard the area,” one wrote.
DEP officials told the outlet that the length of time the area would be closed will be determined by whether the chicks opt to remain there after hatching.
If the baby birds decide to relocate to another spot on the beach, that new area will be closed off instead, the agency added.
It’s been nearly a decade and a half since the Brooklyn Nets moved out of New Jersey.
The organization has completely revamped its vibe since switching states, ditching the red, white and blue look for a very basic black and white colorway.
The Nets have also intermittently changed the colors of the banners hanging up in the Barclays Center from red, white and blue to black and white, much to the chagrin of traditional Nets fans.
Despite the Nets now playing in a bigger market and being far removed from their days in the Garden State, some fans seem to hope for the Nets to make their return across the river. New Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill was asked about the matter.
“I mean, would I support it? I ask about it all the time,” Sherrill said. “I love the idea. So, I have been pressing for that. I haven’t made a lot of headway yet; you know, maybe in my second 100 days.
“But I do think there is some work being done for some — I don’t know if I’m allowed to say too much about it — but some people are working on some different sports coming into the Rock.”
As time went on, the Nets eventually started to embrace more of their New Jersey roots, which started when they rocked a clean tie-dye jersey from the 90s during the 2020-21 season.
The next season, the Nets followed it up with uniforms commemorating their run in the 2000s, when the team got to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003 and endlessly broke the ESPN top 10 with each crazy Jason Kidd assist and Vince Carter dunk.
It’s fitting that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the latter of whom grew up in New Jersey as a Nets fan, got to rock these uniforms, helping boost the popularity of the New Jersey brand to a wide array of fans.
True Nets fans embraced the Continental Airlines Arena/Izod Center and the swamps of East Rutherford, getting to witness a winning basketball team for a fraction of the cost of the team mired in dysfunction that happened to play their home games at “The World’s Most Famous Arena.”
Not many marquee free agents would have signed up to play in New Jersey, but real fans remember the good times in the swamps, especially with Sly the Fox as the team’s mascot. Those times deserve to be remembered properly.
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ATLANTIC COUNTY, N.J. (WPVI) — Drivers heading to the shore on Friday afternoon saw slow-moving traffic for several miles coming off the Walt Whitman bridge, but many travelers said the start of the holiday weekend was smoother than they anticipated.
Aldara Madden, who was traveling with her friend Elana Maser, said the trip moved faster than she expected.
“I was expecting it to take a lot longer,” she said.
Maser added that they left school early to avoid delays.
“My mom and I do that every year and then we always stop here as our little pre-down the shore,” she said.
Others shared similar experiences.
“I’m coming from Bucks County, so I was worried there was gonna be some traffic but it really wasn’t bad at all,” said Erin McFadden of Churchville, who was headed to Ocean City.
AAA reported that while slightly more people are traveling by car this year compared to last, 2026 is projected to have the lowest year-over-year travel growth rate in more than a decade, excluding the steep drop seen in 2020 during the pandemic.
The organization attributes the slowdown largely to concerns over rising prices.
“Gas is ridiculously expensive and I think all the time before going anywhere these days,” said Debbie Maser of Philadelphia. “But this is our happy place and nothing can keep us away.”
A dreary weekend forecast may also be influencing travel patterns.
“I was thinking that, I wonder if there’ll be less congestion on the roads because of the weather,” said Kyra Wolin of Massachusetts. “It’s not looking to be too good this weekend with the rain.”
Still, many shore-bound travelers said tradition outweighs any concerns about rain or crowds.
“No not at all. You go down. You get it done,” said George Miller of Lansdale.
Eric Wolin of Massachusetts agreed: “Never, never. Margate’s a special place for us.”
As the unofficial start of summer begins, travelers said they remain committed to kicking off the season in their favorite spots, not letting rain, traffic, or high prices keep them away.
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