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Messenger Ballot Reform In Action

There had been a lot of discussion on these pages and in other media about the abuse of the authorized messenger provision in our election law. After witnessing the 2014 absentee ballot circus in Asbury Park, Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon…whose district includes Asbury Park…introduced an important reform that would limit the number of ballots that assisters and authorized messengers would be able to collect from ten, as it was at the time, to two.  After reconciliation with a Senate version of the bill, the reform was enacted with the limit placed at three.  BTW, Assembly candidate Jim Keady, who lived in Asbury Park two years ago, was at the center of the 2013 absentee ballot circus there.

Anyway, this is the first election with the new law in place and as you are all aware messenger ballot abuse has been an issue here in Belmar too. I received an excel sheet of the Belmar messenger and assister ballots turned in to Freehold as of yesterday.  Only 3 1/2 pages!  That’s a big change from last year.  Let’s see how the new law has affected things…at least so far.

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54 total ballots cast, compared with something like 250 last year.  (They still have Monday though.)

Nine of the fourteen messengers work for D’Jais.  Ten if you count Matt.

One batch, submitted by D’Jais employee Lindsey Gumann caught my attention:gumann

Did Christopher Razzino vote twice?  Probably not but we better check on Monday.

BTW, Gumann uses a Freehold address but her Facebook says she lives in New Brunswick.Screen Shot 2015-10-31 at 7.15.12 AM

You have to live in the same county as the voter whose ballot you’re delivering.

23 Comments

  1. VOTER wrote:

    Ok, on Monday another list of absentee ballots should arrive and are received by who, what and wherein the borough of Belmar. What happens to the delivery of final Voters by Mail verification lists on Tuesday? Does the County provide the final list to Belmar? If so, at what time is that final VBM list received in Belmar or anywhere else in the County and upon receipt, by whom is it delivered, whose paid job is it to receive such data and in addition how such Final VBM data is disseminated to interested individuals for perusal by the paid board workers to do their hobs and verify that a voter is in fact voting for the first time in person at the polling place?

    Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 8:33 am | Permalink
  2. Heard Enough wrote:

    Admin- Are the dates that these ballots were turned in available? One person whose ballot was turned in is recently deceased and another has been in the hospital for a few weeks with a major illness. I find it hard to believe that person was worried about the pavilion vote so much that he had Mayor Doherty drop off his ballot.

    Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 8:41 am | Permalink
  3. admin wrote:

    #1, you ask too many questions.

    #2, you might find what you’re looking for here.

    Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 8:57 am | Permalink
  4. Brian Pringle wrote:

    She lives in Freehold but goes to Rutgers in New Brunswick.

    Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 10:25 am | Permalink
  5. admin wrote:

    Hmm. Says she works in Manhattan. Part-time?

    Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 10:31 am | Permalink
  6. VOTER wrote:

    Ask me no questions I tell you NO lies.

    Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 10:30 am | Permalink
  7. Cathi wrote:

    http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/02/election_night_of_the_living_dead_nj_lawmaker_want.html

    Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 10:38 am | Permalink
  8. Cathi wrote:

    FB says Graduated from Rutgers 2014. Perhaps she’s a Grad student now.

    Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 10:39 am | Permalink
  9. A Voter 2 wrote:

    Some of Mr. Murray’s voters he is “assisting” dont know what day it is i feel bad for telling the truth, very unforturnate.

    Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 10:44 am | Permalink
  10. Ms. Sarcastic wrote:

    I am going to wear my Hillary button, maybe they will let me vote twice.That is 2 for Dave!

    Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 10:54 am | Permalink
  11. Guest wrote:

    So according to NJ law, Delores Young’s vote should not count?

    Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 10:57 am | Permalink
  12. Anonymous wrote:

    Interesting, I thought the same thing about a few of the signs I saw in town. Using disabled person’s and closed summer rental properties just for selfish window dressing purposes tells knowing neighbors how desperate their scrupples can be in governing Belmar. USERS

    Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 11:13 am | Permalink
  13. Anonymous wrote:

    Model marketing employees usually on the road touring in season or to events all over the country. Agency’s have in house employees as well, very few because jobs are posted on line with video interviews of prospective employees. Depends on the company’s clientele. Think of the kids who used to hand out cigarette
    samples to beachgoers. We used to tell them to stay away from the children in our midst. You know, don’t give those cigarettes to minors. I have no idea what’s marketed in Belmar on the beach nowadays. At the mall they also have the gorilla marketing in your face marketing of dead sea skin products that they push on you Yucky jobs.

    Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 11:24 am | Permalink
  14. Laughing wrote:

    You failed to point out that Jack Pringle was a messenger for several people. Even Pringle’s own family is voting against him! LOL

    Sunday, November 1, 2015 at 4:04 pm | Permalink
  15. Cathi wrote:

    Laughing – Where do you see who was voted for? I don’t see that. Just two ballots delivered by him as messenger.

    Sunday, November 1, 2015 at 4:53 pm | Permalink
  16. admin wrote:

    He doesn’t know what he’s talking about

    Sunday, November 1, 2015 at 5:04 pm | Permalink
  17. Yeah wrote:

    Isnt that the same Sean Connelly that is related the the Home By Summer winner Teresa Keefe. And married to the ex Principal of belmar school. Who was also the recreation director at one time. Wow the connections are all there

    Sunday, November 1, 2015 at 6:06 pm | Permalink
  18. Tina Connelly wrote:

    #17. Hi, it’s the former Assistant Principal and Ex Rec Director. No, that is not the same Sean CONNELLY. Last name spelled differently and we live on 13th Ave. Make your connections elsewhere and do your homework before you make accusations. Have a great night.

    Sunday, November 1, 2015 at 6:59 pm | Permalink
  19. Anonymous wrote:

    Ratzo Rizzoli smells something new in the air. Must be the sweat of the Engineer putting the ARM on doorbells over the weekend.

    Do you ever get the creeps when these characters darken your door at election time? Kinda like those robo calls disturbing you and the family at dinner time

    Monday, November 2, 2015 at 9:49 am | Permalink
  20. Missing puzzle piece wrote:

    Why does it cost less to taxpayers to put their recycling at the curb vs bringing yours and your neighbors recycling to the RECYCLING center in Belmar?

    Monday, November 2, 2015 at 11:13 am | Permalink
  21. Laughing wrote:

    Excuse me Dave, but I am a woman. So you’re saying that not every vote from a D’jais messanger is pro-democratic?

    Monday, November 2, 2015 at 11:30 am | Permalink
  22. admin wrote:

    1- Sorry for assuming you were a man
    2- Of course I don’t know how anyone is voting but myself. The thing is Belmar has a very strict pay to play ordinance regarding attempts by establishments with liquor licenses to influence elections. Here we have a single night club whose employees represent 65% of ballot messengers this year. Last year they admitted to delivering 250 ballots, 10% of all ballots cast. So you think that’s perfectly normal and nobody should be asking questions?

    Monday, November 2, 2015 at 11:55 am | Permalink
  23. Anonymous wrote:

    Dave, again you are on the MONEY

    Monday, November 2, 2015 at 12:12 pm | Permalink

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