Mount Laurel GOP-controlled Council moves one step closer to voter suppression.
You have seen Republicans act effectively as sore losers (or even sore winners, just ask Presidents Al Gore and Hillary Clinton) at the national level. But that GOP stench of disdain for the will of the voters has dripped into local elections in Mount Laurel.
Last night, the GOP-council voted 3-2 on partisan lines to advance an ordinance that would severely suppress the vote to their advantage. In this article, I’ll explain why, but first two disclaimers.
One: I’m a Democratic Mount Laurel Committee member. So I’m biased. But on these contentious issues, everyone is. Secondly, I was not at the meeting, so this article is based on my watching the live stream and communicating with people who were there both in real-time and afterwards.
The ordinance, which will be passed by the same GOP majority at its second reading next month, calls for a vote to change the town’s system of government from “partisan” to “non-partisan” and hold municipal elections in May instead of November. On the surface, this may sound good, and is the main talking point of the GOP sponsors. They contend it divorces the town’s issues from the combative nature of state and national politics. These arguments are specious at best. Speaker Tip O’Neill has pointed out that “all politics is local” and that includes our Council. In New Jersey, with multiple levels of government, council members must work closely with the county freeholders, state legislators, and Congressman Kim’s office to effectively navigate the interlocking tentacles that pervade infrastructure, health care, and plethora of other issues.
Read more: http://www.bluejersey.com/2019/05/mount-laurel-gop-controlled-council-moves-one-step-closer-to-voter-suppression/
