Third Circuit Axes New Jersey’s Primary ‘Ballot Siberia’ System

Local New Jersey Democratic parties lost an attempt to preserve a primary ballot that allows the party to identify their preferences, in a federal appeals court ruling that primes a similar change for Republicans.

The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld a lower court ruling ordering county clerks to revamp ballot designs and eliminate the “county line” format, which placed preferred party candidates in an easy-to-see, left-hand column and relegated disfavored contenders to other spots on the ballot.

“Voters must navigate complex and sometimes contradictory ballots in order to vote for candidates who are left off the ...