TRENTON, N.J. — 2017 gubernatorial candidate Kim Guadagno unloaded on Governor Phil Murphy over the weekend, Save Jerseyans, accusing her ex-rival of endangering her active duty military son’s ability to vote in the upcoming 2018 Midterm Election.
The controversy stems from a new and heavily-criticized Murphy-era law which mandates the distribution of mail-in ballots to anyone who voted by mail in the November 2016 general election. Wasted time and money are only the tip of the iceberg; many county-level officials are openly concerned about voter confusion when the polls open on November 6th.
Kim Guadagno’s gripe? “My son, deployed to So Korea, who legally votes by email, just got a mail in ballot here in NJ. Meaning ->he has been disenfranchised under Gov Murphy’s new law,” exclaimed the Monmouth County Republican and former Lieutenant Governor for Chris Christie on Facebook. “He can’t return the mail in ballot obviously – he’s in Korea. And he will not be on the voting rolls because he got a mail in ballot so his email ballot doesn’t count????”
Guadagno’s firey social media salvo was first reported by Save Jersey.
The Murphy Administration is nevertheless standing by its new law.
On Tuesday, Save Jersey received a statement from Robert Giles, New Jersey’s Director of the Division of Elections, dismissing the ex-LG’s concerns without directly naming her:
“No voters will be disenfranchised under the new law. Any military and overseas voters can apply for a ballot by visiting https://www.fvap.gov/ or contacting their county election offices.
In addition, any voter can reach out to their respective County Election Office for instructions.”
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