Our speaker was Joanne Rajappi, county clerk, Union county, NJ. Joanne has had a long and distinguished career in public service. She was elected mayor of Springfield in 1977, and in 1980, became the first female chair of the Union county Board of Freeholders. She was elected to her current position in 1995 and has been re-elected five times, thereby serving in the position for thirty years, and she will run for re- election in 2025.
Today’s topic was the complete redesign of the primary ballots for the Democratic party. New Jersey had a unique ballot design where candidates endorsed by county political parties were grouped together in a single line or column. This structure was criticized for giving a significant advantage to party-backed candidates, effectively diminishing the influence of those running independently. Congressman Andy Kim challenged the configuration of the ballots in court and a federal judge agreed that the county line format was unconstitutional. This led to the creation of “office-block ballots,” where candidates are grouped by the office they are seeking. Governor Murphy signed a bill requiring block ballots into law and this June it will take effect.
For those interested in knowing more about Joanne’s long and prolific career in public service you can go to: https://ucnj.org/county-clerk/about-the-county-clerk/ . To view a sample ballot for the upcoming primary on June 10th, visit: https://unioncountyvotes.com/sample-ballots-for-the-june-10-2025-primary-election/ and find your town and ward.
We greatly appreciate Joanne spending time with us and answering the many questions the Rotarians had on this and other related subjects.
Ann-Marie Aymer, Joanne, David Dietze & Susan Haig