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Advocates urge Hudson County to rebalance early-voting sites after gaps in Hoboken, Harrison and North Bergen
Summary
A resident analyst told commissioners that early-voting site placement in Hudson County is uneven, with some cities heavily covered and others underserved; she recommended replacing duplicative sites to increase one‑district access countywide by about 4 percent and requested a report from the Superintendent of Elections.
Courtney Walker, a Jersey City resident, told the County Commissioners on Sept. 11 that early-voting site placement across Hudson County is currently uneven and that changes would improve equitable access.
Walker said her review of the June primary showed Union City, Weehawken, West New York and Guttenberg had more than 70 percent of voters living within one district of an early voting site, while North Bergen coverage was 42 percent, Hoboken just 13 percent, and Harrison and East Newark had no early voting locations. She also said some sites were duplicative (two mobile trailers placed within walking distance of other sites in Union City) and recommended replacing the duplicative sites with library-based sites in Harrison, Hoboken and Jersey City to raise county-wide coverage by an estimated four percentage points without reducing local access.
Commissioner William O'Dea asked to have the County's elections superintendent (Michael Harper) available at a future meeting to explain site-selection criteria; the board agreed to request Harper attend the next meeting to answer questions about how early-voting locations are chosen and whether county processes ensure equitable distribution across municipalities.
Why it matters: Early-voting access changes voter convenience and can affect turnout. Walker urged the board to review selection criteria so that low‑coverage municipalities receive fair access and to avoid duplication that leaves some areas overserved and others underserved.
What the board will do: Commissioners asked Elections staff to explain how sites are selected and to provide a report. Commissioner O'Dea and others said they expect explanation from the Superintendent at the next meeting.
