TRENTON, NJ – New Jersey Assemblyman Jay Weber slammed Trenton Democrats who cater to progressive liberal activists saying they are ‘turning the world upside down’ in a speech before the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Thursday.
Weber said the fact that a criminal convict can get a job inside the polling station as a poll worker, but police officers are banned is a mockery of the election process in New Jersey.
“To my colleagues, can you understand why the people of New Jersey look at us and say, ‘You are turning the world upside down?’ Mr. Pierce has paid his debt to society, but he is an ex-convict who is allowed to be a poll worker yet you won’t allow police officers into polling places? You turn police officers into the bad guys who are suspect,” Webber (R-Morris) said. “Can you understand why people look at this law and say it’s completely backwards? That’s the problem.”
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy banned police officers from being within 100 feet of polling stations in New Jersey last year unless they are responding to an emergency.
A new bill cleared by the committee on Thursday amends the law to permit one or more police officers to be present at public schools and senior residential centers being used as a polling place upon request by the school or center and removes the requirement that there needs to be a reported threat or safety concern.
“We’re going to support this legislation because it loosens the law, but if you can’t understand why people look at that law that we passed and that the governor signed in January and say, ‘You’re going the wrong way,’ you’re really out of touch,” Webber added.