TRENTON, NJ – This week, the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) summarily dismissed 107 investigations into possible election and campaign wrongdoing after Governor Phil Murphy signed a new election law.
The cases, mostly involving North Jersey Democrats have all been dismissed.
Senators Anthony M. Bucco and Steve Oroho have raised concerns about the Elections Transparency Act (ETA) signed by Governor Murphy, which they believe has weakened election transparency in the state. According to a press release, the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) was forced to dismiss 107 cases of alleged campaign violations following the enactment of the ETA.
The senators criticized the law, which gave Governor Murphy full control over ELEC, previously an independent campaign watchdog agency. The ETA allowed the governor to appoint new members to the commission, which, in their view, has eroded public confidence in election transparency.
ELEC was established in response to the Watergate scandals with the aim of improving public confidence in the electoral process. However, the senators argue that the new law has limited the agency’s ability to investigate and address campaign violations effectively.
They point out that the statute of limitations for agency enforcement actions was reduced from 10 years to 2, and a retroactive provision required the newly appointed ELEC members to dismiss alleged violations reported before the law’s enactment.
The senators expressed their concern that the ETA has stifled the independence of the state’s campaign watchdog and hindered its capacity to hold individuals accountable for campaign violations. They stress that it is crucial to maintain fair and transparent elections in New Jersey and believe that the law and ELEC’s actions demonstrate a failure on the part of Governor Murphy and Trenton Democrats to fulfill this responsibility.