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Resident urges Hudson County to fix early voting access gaps after sample ballots arrived late
Summary
A Jersey City resident told the commissioners that sample ballots in recent elections arrived late and that early-voting site allocation in June created stark proximity disparities, with Union City receiving a disproportionately higher number of early voting locations relative to its voter share than Jersey City.
A Jersey City resident who spoke at the Dec. 11 Hudson County meeting urged the Board to prioritize equity in early voting site selection and better public outreach after sample ballots were reported late.
Courtney Walker said the Sheriff's Office had told the public that encounters with federal agencies (for example, ICE) on county property would be documented and that the records should be available to residents. She reported getting one September report after repeated OPRA requests but said other records were returned "no records" and urged regular availability of these logs when federal agents are present in parks or county property.
Walker also presented an analysis of early voting site access in Hudson County. She said Union City (about 8% of county voters in her analysis) had 10 early voting sites in the June primary and achieved a 90% proximity rate (residents living within a quarter mile of a site), while Jersey City (about 40% of county voters) had only seven sites at the time and just 16% of voters lived within a quarter mile of a site. Walker said turnout for voters within a quarter mile of a site reached 26% compared with 16% for those more than a mile away in the June primary.
She asked the Board to require a transparent, population-based process for selecting early voting locations, timely and reliable mailings of sample ballots, and routine reporting on turnout gaps and corrective steps. Commissioner William O'Dea said he would request a report from the appropriate election officials on the county's site-selection process and costs; Commissioner Albert Cifelli agreed that proportionality in site placement should be examined.
County staff noted more early voting sites were added before the November election (including an increase in Jersey City), which Walker cited as progress but not a complete solution.
