Two Republican commissioners on the Passaic County Board of Elections have told the attorney general’s office that they want to be consulted on a case-by-case basis before any appearances are made before judges.
This is the latest in a series of protests lodged by Republicans against the leadership of John Currie, the board of elections chairman, and the Passaic County Democratic Chairman. On Friday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it would monitor elections in Passaic County.
In New Jersey, the attorney general’s office is the lawyer for county election boards and superintendents of elections. In this case, the two Republicans – who make up 50% of the board – don’t want their counsel appearing in court unless they, as the client, approve it.
In a letter to Deputy Attorney General Charles Shadle, obtained by the New Jersey Globe, Commissioners John Traier and David Monisera maintain that the full board is the client and that the attorney general’s office “has an obligation to ensure that there is consensus on any action taken.”
“We do not authorize Chairman Currie to act on our behalf, nor does he have the right to act on our behalf,” Traier and Monisera said in a letter to Shadle. “For all issues that require your or your designees’ argument, we require that you confer with all commissioners and obtain a vote prior to making any arguments before the court.”
Passaic Republicans say that Currie and his ally, Ken Hirmann, the office administrator, have shut down their bid for tightened security, including cameras and logs to ensure that one party doesn’t enter a secure area where mail-in ballots are stored without the other party present
An attorney for the GOP, Jessica Ragno Sprague, sent a letter to Superintendent of Elections Shona Mack-Pollack seeking confirmation that her office employs an equal number of people from each part, a list of all employees, and confirming that “for all ballots called into question, that both a Republican and Democrat are reviewing each one before accepting and rejecting.”
Assistant Attorney General Angela Cai, who serves as acting attorney general on matters related to the representation of county election officials, offered guidance on Friday that federal monitors should not be treated differently from any other voter.
Jason Sena, an attorney representing the Republican State Committee, sent a letter to the Justice Department requesting federal monitoring of the Passaic County Board of Elections to ensure ballot integrity.
In 2021, Deputy Attorney General Beau C. Wilson was removed from an election case in Atlantic County after local board of election commissioners from both parties complained that he was representing their position in a Superior Court hearing without seeking their consent. Wilson left the attorney general’s office the following year.
