TRENTON, NJ – Governor Murphy’s science tells us we can stand six feet apart in supermarkets and use push button credit card machines at the checkout. His science also tells us we can stand in long lines at the Motor Vehicle Commission and conduct our transactions indoors. That same science also tells us we can stand shoulder to shoulder in protest as long as we’re wearing face masks. It also tells us voting in person is a deadly, unnecessary risk that will restart the pandemic that killed thousands of senior citizens in nursing homes and state-run veterans homes.
On Wednesday, Murphy doubled down on his lust to turn the November election into another mail-in ballot fiasco and said he will fight President Donald J. Trump to prevent New Jerseyans from being able to opt-out of the mail-in ballot election and cast their ballot in person.
“Let me begin by making an unequivocal statement. Our democracy is stronger and fairer when all voters have the right to not just cast a ballot, but to cast that ballot in confidence,” Murphy said. “The President’s campaign is putting itself on record as wanting to delegitimize our November election, instead of working with us to ensure that voters’ rights are upheld alongside public health. This goes far beyond attempts at weaponizing the United States Postal Service to disenfranchise voters. This is now becoming a full-throated propaganda campaign to undermine the election itself.”
Murphy said vote by mail has been used extensively across the country including five states that almost exclusively use vote by mail for every election.
“And vote by mail is not new in New Jersey either. It takes on the added importance of protecting both public health and the right to vote during a deadly pandemic that has already taken more than 14,000 lives in our state,” he said, omitting that as many as 7,000 died in nursing homes after a March order by Judith Persichili sent infected patients into those homes.
“New Jersey’s efforts to expand participation through vote by mail have been ongoing for years and have proven successful in election after election, just as it did, I might add, last month when we had the second-highest primary turnout in state history, despite an ongoing public health emergency and by the way, despite a non-competitive — at that point in July — race for the Presidency in our party,” he added. “Let me be clear: vote by mail in this election will keep people safe, period. The Trump campaign is embarking on a brazen attempt to sow fear and confusion and to delegitimize our elections and cast doubt on our democratic process. They’re trying to distract us from focusing on our future.”
The Governor said he is moving forward regardless.
“We will not be distracted. Our plans for November will move forward. If vote by mail is good enough for the President, it is good enough for all of us. The sanctity of our democratic processes must be and will be preserved,” he said. “As the President and his team try to delegitimize our election and impact the health and safety of millions of New Jerseyans, we will defend our rights vigorously and we will not back down. So as they say, bring it on.”
