Voting-rights seminar planned in Morris town where mail-in ballots sparked court battle

A close race for a Mendham Township committee seat last year ended up in court as Republicans challenged the legality of certain mail-in ballots, many from college students or adult children not presently living at home.

After a day of testimony before a Morris Count judge, the lawsuit was dropped in February. But controversy and confusion about mail-in balloting has continued in New Jersey.

After that local debate − and amid widespread but unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election − the League of Women Voters of the Morristown Area and the ACLU are teaming up for public seminar next week titled “Know Your Rights: Voting in New Jersey."

The location for the July 26 meeting at 6:30 p.m. is not coincidental: the Brookside Community Club in Mendham Township.

"We are aware there was an issue last year," said Barbara Kuppersmith, chair of voter services for the local LWV chapter. "Some people from Mendham requested we do this, but everyone is welcome."

The presentation can also be viewed live and after the event from the LWV-Morristown YouTube channel.

Questions from the public can be submitted in advance, by 6 p.m. July 25, by filling out an online form. More information is available on the LWV Morristown website.

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Kuppersmith will be joined by Liza Weisberg, a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey to help everyone navigate the voting process. The program will discuss topics ranging from who can vote to early voting, voting by mail residency requirements and checking your voter status.

Residency requirements for mail-in voting were at the center of the controversy in Mendham Township during primary voting last month.

Christie's kids

Certified results from the four-candidate race for two township committee seats saw Republican Tracey Moreen finishing first with 1,532 votes, followed by Democrat Lauren Spirig, with 1,473 votes. Finishing just behind were incumbent Republican Committeeman Thomas Baio (1,471 votes) and Democrat Martin Slayne (1,397 votes).

The election gave Democrats a second spot on the five-member committee in a town that has long been a Republican bastion.

Baio challenged the results in court, identifying 33 mostly late mail-in ballots that he said were cast by former or non-residents in the race he narrowly lost to Spirig. Baio's court challenge said he wanted to root out illegal votes in the interest of "election integrity."

Among the alleged offenders named in the Republican's suit was the daughter of Morris County Democratic Committee Chairwoman Amalia Duarte, who in 2017 became the first Democrat ever elected to the Mendham Township Committee.

Duarte denied the allegation against her daughter and the others who were recognized as mostly likely Democratic voters. Democrats responded in court with their own list of allegedly questionable mail-in votes, including two by the children of former Gov. Chris Christie, who lives in Mendham Township.

"There were no grounds for this, and it was awful they put our community through this," Duarte said after the February 7 hearing. "But thank God democracy has won the day. I want to encourage young people to vote."

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Periodic voter education

The League of Women Voters launched its series of voting seminars during the COVID-19 pandemic to help people navigate through the unusual circumstances presented to voters during lockdowns. It has held them periodically since then.

Kuppersmith said her organization hopes to host another program in the fall at the County College of Morris in Randolph, not only to explain voting options but also to emphasize "how important it is to vote."

"We can tailor it to specific, different things for the group we are presenting to," she said.

In Mendham, she plans to address the hot-button issue of voting by mail.

"I do a lot of events where I register voters, and there are definitely people who come up to me and say they won't vote by mail because it's not safe," Kuppersmith said. "We want to assure people it's definitely safe. We're going to make sure we clarify exactly who can and cannot vote by mail [and] where your registration needs to be. For example, if you are in college, yes, you definitely vote where your parents are."

The League of Women Voters claims nonpartisan status and does not make candidate endorsements, even in races where they host pre-election debates.

“This educational panel is a terrific idea," Duarte said Monday. "It’s important for all voters to understand their rights and feel confident in the process. Voting is the most fundamental right in a democracy, and no one should feel intimidated about casting a ballot, in particular younger voters who may be living away at school or elsewhere. We should be doing everything possible to engage the next generation of voters and leaders and encourage their participation in the democratic process.”

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com Twitter: @wwesthoven

This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Mendham NJ: League of Women Voters plans ballot-rights seminar