Democrats Prevail in Springfield Recount Lawsuit

In judge's ruling on case, Margaret Bandrowski wins election by three votes.

The lawsuit over Springfield's 2012 election has ended with Democratic candidate Margaret Bandrowski for Township Committee holding her seat by a three-vote margin. James Foerst, the attorney for Republican candidate Jerry Fernandez, argued that because of the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the election—namely the consequences of tropical storm sandy—the results were unrepresentative of the will of the people. "There was a superstorm," he said during the case. "It was unprecedented. It's clear we have a unique circumstance." After alleging that people were voting illegally, he said the election in Springfield had either an "incorrect" or "indeterminate" vote. Attorney Bob Renauld, representing Bandrowski, argued against the case …

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Springfield Republicans Contest Election

GOP members file court documents looking in hopes of overturning election.

Alleging issues with absentee ballots, electronic voting and former residents voting illegally, Springfield Republicans have filed an official contest of election with Superior Court. James Foerst, the attorney representing the party, said that legal documents questioning the results of the election were filed this week. Following a recount earlier this month, the margin between Democrat Margaret Bandrowski and Republican Jerry Fernandez was reduced from five to four. After reviewing ballots and other election materials, Foerst and his clients believe that there are enough votes in doubt to change the final results. Most of the alleged voting irregularities stem from the extraordinary circumstances caused by Tropical Storm Sandy. Foerst …

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After Recount, Margin Closer but Dems Still Up

Deputy Mayor Jerry Fernandez is within four votes of reelection.

This morning, after Union County officials recounted the ballots cast by Springfield residents in the 2012 election, the margin of victory for township Democratic Committee member elect Margaret Bandrowski reportedly slipped from five votes to four.  Republican Springfield Deputy Mayor Jerry Fernandez, who narrowly lost to Bandrowski, said that following the recount of votes held on Wednesday, Dec. 19, the official result changed by one vote. Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi said that five votes were changed, with two provisional ballots and three mail-in ballots showing different results. While the outcome is the same, Republicans believe that the difference is telling. "The end results didn’t change," Republican Springfield Mayor Ziad …

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Leila

9:16 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012

Thank you! Happy holidays to you as well.   more ›

Official Election Results Put Bandrowski Over Fernandez by Five Votes

Both Democrats in race win seats.

According to the official count of Springfield's ballots by Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi, Margaret Bandrowski has edged ahead of incumbent Jerry Fernandez by five votes.  The final tally shows victories for the two Democrats in the race for the two open seats on the township committee, David Barnett and Margaret Bandrowski. The two incumbent Republicans, Marc Krauss and Jerry Fernandez, fell short of the votes needed to attain second terms.  With Barnett and Bandrowski on the Committee, Springfield Democrats have a four to one majority. The only remaining Republican on the committee is current Mayor Ziad Shehady.  The race was close and drawn out due to voting complications caused by tropical storm Sandy. Unofficial numbers had given …

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Election Update

Springfield will get final results of election on Monday, Nov. 19.

Springfield's 2012 election remains a work in progress.  A week after election day, Union County Board of Elections Deputy Administrator Joanne Arena said her office is still in process of getting it all together. Arena said they have 102 provisional ballots so far. Of them, 63 have been accepted and 39 have been rejected. She said that they were still waiting for provisional ballots from other counties to roll in and estimated that there would be between 150 and 175 in total.  Those ballots are currently sealed in envelopes that will be opened and counted on Monday, Nov. 19 at the Board of Elections office in Elizabeth. That does not include the ballots sent in to the county by fax or email, which Arena said have not yet been counted.  …

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Lt. Governor Extends Deadline for Email, Fax Voting Until Friday

Confusion, delays and an inundation of ballots caused Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno to extend voting deadline until 8 p.m. on Friday.

GOP Will Benefit From Down Voter Turnout, NJ Insiders Say

Both parties also approve of governor's level of support for those more affected by Sandy.

Republicans will be mostly likely to benefit from a down voter turnout Tuesday in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy, New Jersey political insiders believe. According to a Patch poll of state elected officials and party insiders, 15 of 22 Republican respondents believe voter turnout will be down slightly from where it would have been otherwise. Of 27 Democratic respondents, 26 expect there will be either a slight or sharp decline in turnout.  "The areas likely to remain without power by Tuesday are predominantly smaller, suburban and rural communities that are typically Republican bases," one Republican respondent said. "Power restoration to urban areas, with higher Democratic concentration, seems to have been prioritized," the respondent …

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Rick

1:27 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013

Tells me that observer is about three months late with that remark.   more ›

Hurricane Sandy

State Eases Voting Restrictions to Accommodate Storm-Battered Residents

A New Jersey governor's office directive issued Thursday makes it easier for voters to cast last-minute ballots this year.

In an effort to accommodate NJ voters affected by Hurricane Sandy, the governor's office issued a directive Thursday evening easing voting restrictions and ordering election offices to remain open through the weekend. Per Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno's directive, the state has extended the deadline for mail-in ballot applications -- normally due no later than one week before election day -- to close of business Friday, to make voting more accessible. Additionally, the state has ordered that county clerks and all election offices remain open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Friday, Nov. 2 until Monday, Nov. 5 to accommodate early in-person voting. By law, voters may apply for and submit in person a mail-in ballot at their county clerk's office …

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Hurricane Sandy

Vote-By-Mail Hours Extended Response to Hurricane Sandy

Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi will open offices in Westfield and Elizabeth on Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

In response to the effects of Hurricane Sandy, Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi will open her offices in Elizabeth and Westfield on Saturday, November 3, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Sunday November 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for voters seeking last-minute Vote-By-Mail ballots. The office in Elizabeth at the Union County Courthouse, 2 Broad Street, Room 113, and the office in Westfield at 300 North Avenue East, will be open as a public service for those voters who choose the Vote-By-Mail option for the Presidential Election to be held on Tuesday, November 6. “In the after-math of Hurricane Sandy, there have been many inquiries as to how power-outages and mail delays will effect voting procedures for the general election,” Rajoppi said. “In …

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