Today, in the lawsuit Kim v. Hanlon, which challenged New Jersey’s column style election ballots, a federal judge ruled that counties must redesign their ballots ahead of the upcoming June primary. 

The suit alleged that the ballot design used by 19 counties unconstitutionally privileged candidates endorsed by county party leadership by granting them preferential ballot placement. Earlier this month, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC (Advancing Justice-AAJC), and AAPI New Jersey filed an amicus brief arguing that the challenged ballot designs exacerbate voting barriers for Asian Americans, especially those with limited English proficiency and naturalized first-time voters, and force Asian Americans—and all candidates of color—to run on an unequal playing field, reinforcing a pattern of underrepresentation in the state.

The three groups released the following statement: 

“Today’s ruling is a major victory for voters and democracy in New Jersey. For too long, New Jersey’s ballot line has functioned as one of our country’s most pernicious forms of voter suppression and has been a significant obstacle to diversifying its legislature and other elected offices. As we argued in our amicus brief, this unconstitutional practice has especially harmed the Asian American community and other underrepresented groups.

While litigation on this case will likely continue, the collective power of New Jersey voters and communities who want change in our political system is undeniable. A fairer, more representative democracy must not be delayed or denied.”

“New Jersey’s political representation should reflect its diversity, and voters including those with limited English proficiency should not have to contend with a ballot design that impedes their fundamental right to vote. We are proud of our community for sharing their experiences in our amicus brief, and for joining with other strong grassroots voices to ripen the moment for this historic ruling. We thank our partners AALDEF and AAJC for continuing to advocate alongside us for a fairer, more inclusive democracy in New Jersey.” –Amber Reed, Co-Executive Director, AAPI New Jersey 

“The Line has for too long denied New Jerseyans, and especially Asian Americans, fair and transparent elections. We welcome today’s order as the first step in ending the Line once and for all,” says Ronak Patel, Legal Fellow at AALDEF.

“Today’s order is an important step forward for democracy and racial equality,” said Noah Baron, Assistant Director of Litigation at Advancing Justice – AAJC. As we outlined in our amicus brief, the county line ballot design has prevented Asian Americans and other racial minorities from electing candidates of their choice by giving preferential treatment to insider candidates, while deterring many others from running at all, and making voting harder for limited English proficiency voters.”