Dear Fellow Democrats,
Final vote counting has concluded (except for final write-ins) today, and final result certifications will soon be transmitted, so we can officially celebrate Democratic Victories in Mercer County! Congratulations to Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman and Congressman Andy Kim, County Commissioner and candidates Nina Melker and Cathleen Lewis and Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora. Link To County Clerk Page Now that the final vote counting has concluded and final result certifications will soon be transmitted, we need to address the issues surfaced during this election. A commitment to the integrity of our elections is one of the few issues that transcends political party differences here in Mercer County and throughout New Jersey. It is a principle that is uniquely American, a mainstay of our democracy, and it is why I called for an investigation (see attached letter) the morning of November 9th. We need to know what went wrong and how to ensure it does not happen again. A full investigation that concludes with a formal written statement accounting to the public is in order. As of the writing of this message, we remain in the dark about the specific malfunction(s) that caused the Election Day problem. Many of you reached out with questions about the innerworkings of our elections in your effort to understand what went wrong. I realized in answering your questions, there are some gaps in our knowledge about how a Mercer County election is run, so I’d like to share my responses more widely. In Mercer County, and all 21 New Jersey counties, there are three distinct offices engaged in the operations of elections: the Superintendent of Elections, appointed by the Governor with consent of the State Senators the County Clerk, elected by the voters every five years the Board of Elections, a bi-partisan body vested with responsibility to count the votes. Additionally, the Mercer County administration selects and purchases the voting machines for early voting and for election day, as well as allocating funding resources necessary to conduct our elections. Looking toward future elections, there is a separate and larger issue we must address: Elections have dramatically changed over the course of the past few years and our approach to funding, staffing and oversight has not. Since the onset of COVID in early 2020, significantly higher numbers of vote by mail ballots are now cast and we offer early voting the week prior to the election as well as election day voting. Offering these options helped New Jersey make significant strides toward increasing voter access but they also changed the counting process and exponentially increased the amount of work necessary to conduct an election. In order to ensure voters continue to enjoy a transparent efficient electoral process with full accountability, Mercer County needs to change as well. We need to acknowledge our new electoral reality, determine if staffing changes are needed, and where, and streamline the oversight process for vote by mail, early voting, and election day voting. Everyone has work to do. We must work together to initiate effective reforms with sufficient resourcing that will support fair elections and ensure voter confidence.
It's Not Over Until December 6 IN GEORGIA - Senator Warnock Needs Your Help!
Please sign-up to help out for a Democratic Victory in Georgia in this important US Senate Election! MAKE CALLS, sign up HERE: https://www.mobilize.us/gavotes/event/488467/ CANVASS, sign up HERE: https://www.mobilize.us/gavotes/event/521492/ If anyone is planning to travel to Georgia complete THIS FORM: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdCN-LUeoAF_R7nukP54ZpYNQgxOjQ9UIvmuxxQiyH3HV0evw/viewform
In Unity for Victory, Mayor Janice Mironov Mercer County Democratic Chairperson