Let’s face it. Democrats in New Jersey are reeling from major defeats across the state in 2021, but now they are pushing hard to turn the tide that is rising against them. New Jersey Senator Vin Gopal (D-Monmouth) has introduced a bill that will allow same-day voter registration on election…and all you need to register is a recent utility bill with your address on it.
Last year, Murphy pushed then-Senate President Steve Sweeney on the matter.
“The bills that move forward must only be those that further the right to vote, by example for allowing for same-day onsite registration and voting or allowing 17-year-olds to register and vote in our primaries if they turn 18 by the general election,” Murphy said last March.
Sweeney pushed back.
“We’re never going to get same-day voting here,” Senate President Steve Sweeney told the press after Murphy’s request. “There’s just too much opposition in my caucus to it, about concerns, actually, in different sectors of the state that people can really play games with early voting. They’re very nervous about it.”
Now, with Sweeney out of the way, after suffering an election defeat to Republican truck driver Ed Durr, the progressive contingent in Trenton no longer has any checks and balances on the senate floor from within their own party.
New Jersey has long been known as a state plagued by corruption. Several high-profile election scandals have been documented, including a 2020 Paterson election that was so fraud infested that a new election was held.
In the past 10 years, 16 high-profile election fraud cases were tried, most leading to criminal convictions or mandatory diversion programs. Most of those convictions revolved around the fraudulent use of absentee ballots.
Under Gopal’s proposed bill, anyone with a utility bill can show up on Election Day and cast a vote. The only fraud prevention measures will be conducted after the ballot is cast and will be on the shoulders of local election boards to verify those utility bills to determine if the vote was legitimate and legal.
Gopal isn’t concerned about election fraud.
“Same day voter registration increases voter turnout, especially among young voters,” Gopal said, defending his bill. “It is more important now than ever to keep young folks civically engaged. Same-day voter registration also makes sure that people who have recently moved and not yet updated their registration or have experienced an administrative error with their registration do not lose their right to vote while keeping our voter rolls more accurate at the same time.”
Not all voter fraud is intentional. Residents who are unaware of their ineligibility will be able to cast votes, such as recently transported illegal immigrants relocated to New Jersey by the Biden administration.
Gopal desperately needs to get more voters into the polling booths on Election Day. The Democrat was trailing his challenger Lori Anetta, but managed to eventually squeak by with a 2,700 vote margin win over the Republican. His 2% margin of victory was razor-thin and considering Republican Jack Ciattarelli defeated Phil Murphy by an 18% margin, Gopal’s tenure in D.C. is now on the endangered species list as he moves more in line with Trenton progressives and returns back to the Phil Murphy inner circle after creating distance in 2020.
Gopal is also rumored to be eyeing the Democratic nomination for Governor in 2025. With Steve Sweeney out of the way, Murphy, Steve Scaturi and Gopal can more easily push a more left-wing agenda in Trenton now that the only adult in the room has departed.
“There’s no reason we can’t do it in New Jersey,” Gopal said.
Gopal snarked, “There’s a checks and balances system in each county. If you have any evidence of fraud, I would be happy to see.”
In 2020, Paterson’s third ward election was invalidated for rampant election fraud. William Rojas was convicted of buying votes and fraudulent use of absentee ballots.
Thre people were convicted of election fraud in New Jersey in 2019. Each charged and found guilty of buying votes and illegally stuffing ballot boxes with fraudulent mail in ballots.
You can see a complete list of election fraud incidents in New Jersey here.