The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission dismissed a complaint filed by the New Jersey Globe that an October 8 gubernatorial debate between Mikie Sherrill and Jack Ciattarelli, and a September 30 debate between each, fell short of the one-hour statutory minimum and should be redone.
The New Jersey Globe had argued that ELEC failed to comply with a statute that states that each debate “shall be of at least one hour’s duration.” A condition of receiving $12.5 million in public financing was that each of the gubernatorial candidates participate in two debates, with a third debate set for the candidates for lieutenant governor.
In a 3-1 vote, the ELEC commissioners determined that the New Jersey Globe or its editor, David Wildstein, had legal standing to challenge the other two debates: the debate between Sherrill and Ciattarelli sponsored by WABC-TV and WPVI-TV, and the lieutenant governor debate sponsored by PIX 11 and PHL 17.
The commission also found that the two debates met the statutory requirements.
Amanda Haines, the executive director of the commission, testified that ELEC staff reviewed 37 of 48 debates since 1989 and found that 21 of them, 56%, were less than one hour.
To reach the full sixty minutes, the commission determined that a post-debate gaggle where each candidate appeared individually would also be counted as part of the tally. The New Jersey Globe contested that, arguing that gaggles are not part of an “interactive debate” required by state law.
But the commission found that the two contested debates were “in compliance with a meticulously crafted and clear statutory direction.”
Commissioners Thomas Prol, Jon-Henry Barr, and Norma Evans voted in favor of the decision; Commissioner Ryan Peters voted no.
