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Residents press Hudson County to rebalance early-voting sites after coverage disparities emerge
Summary
A resident and commissioners flagged unequal early-voting coverage across Hudson County and asked elections staff to explain site placement; the board agreed to invite the superintendent of elections to the next meeting to provide details.
Courtney Walker, a Jersey City resident, told the Hudson County Board of Commissioners that early-voting site placement in the June primary left coverage gaps in some communities.
Walker said the county had 32 early-voting sites overall but that distribution was unequal: towns such as Union City and Weehawken had more than 70% of voters within one district of a site, North Bergen had about 42% coverage, while Hoboken had roughly 13% and East Newark and Harrison had none. Walker recommended replacing duplicative trailer sites in Union City with library-based sites in Harrison, Hoboken and Jersey City to improve countywide coverage without reducing access.
Commissioners accepted the concern and requested that Michael Harper, identified in the meeting as the superintendent of elections, attend the next meeting to explain how site locations are chosen and whether the county or municipalities make placement decisions. "We'll have Michael Harper here," the clerk said, scheduling the follow-up.
The board asked staff to provide the data and to report at the next meeting so commissioners can evaluate whether changes to site placement are warranted and what, if any, county role should be in ensuring more equitable access.
