Governor murphy didn't know 1 in 10 mail-in ballots cast in were tossed by election officials

Governor Murphy Didn’t Know 1 in 10 Mail-In Ballots Cast in Were Tossed by Election Officials

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1 min read
August 20, 2020

TOMS RIVER, NJ – On Wednesday, Governor Phil Murphy, who has been touting the success of the May Paterson election, said he had no idea that 10% of all ballots cast in that election were thrown out by election officials. In the July primary election, as many as 40,000 votes were tossed, according to a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration this week.

“The July primary was plagued with voting problems. To begin, more than 40,000 ballots were rejected. That’s eight times as many rejected ballots as the 2016 primary election. Hudson County alone had over 6,000 rejected ballots this year, more than the entire state for 2016,” President Trump said in a lawsuit filed against Governor Phil Murphy.

Here’s how the exchange went down…

Ian Elliott, NJTV News: I have questions from my colleagues in NJTV. The President’s lawsuit calls Executive Order 177 a, quote, “brazen power grab” and says that the Legislature can change election law and not the Governor, COVID-19 notwithstanding. An op-ed cites an NJ Spotlight report that 10% of ballots cast in the primary were tossed and says that voters could be deprived of the right to vote. Both cite Paterson as evidence of voter fraud in New Jersey. How do you respond to that?

Governor Phil Murphy: Okay, I’ve got nothing more to add on the Trump lawsuit. As I mentioned earlier, the Trump campaign lawsuit, pardon me. I apologize. I’m not sure I understood the NJ Spotlight question. Could you hit that again?

Ian Elliott, NJTV News: Sorry. They said that the Legislature can change the law and not the Governor, and the op-ed states that 10% of ballots cast in the primary were tossed and says that voters could be deprived of the right to vote and they both –

Governor Phil Murphy:  Voters could be what, sorry?

Ian Elliott, NJTV News: Deprived of the right to vote. And both cite Paterson as evidence for that.

Governor Phil Murphy:  I’m sorry, and what?

Ian Elliott, NJTV News: And both cite Paterson as evidence for voter fraud in New Jersey.

Governor Phil Murphy: Yeah, I don’t know about this 10% wasn’t counted. That’s the first I’ve heard about that. But Patterson, I would just say this as forcefully as I can. Paterson was not part of our primary. Paterson was a local election on May 12th and took place before the primary. To me, overwhelmingly, I think to our teams, overwhelmingly, it is a positive data point. People tried to screw with the system, they got caught, they’ve been indicted, and if they’re convicted, they’ll pay a price. To me, that’s the way — that’s the system working.

Photo by David Libeert on Unsplash

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

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