Several voters avoided disenfranchisement on Friday when a Superior Court Judge chose to allow them to vote in next week’s general election.
After 81 years as a New Jersey resident, a man moved to Pennsylvania to live with his girlfriend, but when the relationship failed after three years, he moved to Hunterdon County on October 16 – two days after the voter registration deadline.
He wanted to be near his two children, and a local fishing club where he is an officer, the man told Judge Patrick Heller.
“I was overwhelmed with the moving process,” the 84-year-old said. “I did most of the work myself. I live in an apartment with elevators. It wasn’t an easy move.”
Deputy Attorney General Joshua Bohn argued against allowing the man to vote, but then said the Hunterdon County Board of Elections took no position and left it up to Heller.
“The fact that you’re voting is a great thing,” Heller stated. “It seems like, equitably, the man has moved to New Jersey. He’s a proud New Jerseyan, and I think it makes the most sense, equitably, to accord him the right to vote.”
Heller also permitted a New Jersey native who spent nearly five years living in Colorado and then moved back in June, to vote at his new Hunterdon County residence. His voter registration remained active in Hudson County, even though he moved away in 2020.
A woman who moved from Burlington to Somerset in June will also get to vote, Heller said.
“I didn’t realize the time had gone by so quickly,” she said.
And two other Hunterdon residents – a husband and wife who had moved from New Jersey to Florida and then returned – will also be able to cast ballots this year. They had visited the Motor Vehicle Commission office for their appointment on October 15.
