After six years of litigation and decades of controversy, New Jersey’s “county line” ballot system has officially come to an end. Bergen County—the last county to continue defending the practice—has agreed to a court settlement that establishes new primary ballot rules designed to give every candidate an equal opportunity.
U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi approved the settlement on August 4, bringing two related federal lawsuits over New Jersey’s controversial primary ballot system to a close.
Bergen County Clerk John Hogan was the last of the 19 county clerks named in the lawsuits to abandon his defense of the “county line” system. His decision marks the official end of a political practice that shaped New Jersey elections for decades.
What Was the “County Line”?
Unlike most U.S. states, where primary ballots are organized by the office candidates are seeking, 19 of New Jersey’s 21 counties traditionally used a different format.
Candidates endorsed by the county political party were grouped together in the most prominent position on the ballot, often alongside well-known candidates running for higher office. Their placement made them far more visible to voters.
Candidates who did not receive the party’s endorsement were frequently placed far away from their opponents, sometimes in isolated sections of the ballot that became known as “ballot Siberia.”
As a result, a county party endorsement offered more than political support or campaign resources—it also provided a significant electoral advantage through ballot placement.
Critics argued that the system allowed local party leaders to influence election outcomes before voters even cast their ballots. Research by Rutgers University professor Julia Sass Rubin estimated that favorable ballot placement alone could provide candidates with an average advantage of about 12 percentage points.
The First Lawsuit Began in 2020
The legal challenge began in July 2020 when former primary candidates and the New Jersey Working Families Party filed Conforti v. Hanlon.
The plaintiffs argued that allowing party-endorsed candidates to be grouped together and receive preferential ballot placement violated constitutional principles of fairness and equal treatment.
The lawsuit remained active for years and survived seven attempts to have it dismissed.
However, the issue attracted national attention only four years later during one of New Jersey’s most closely watched political races.
Andy Kim’s Challenge
In February 2024, then-Congressman Andy Kim joined congressional candidates Sarah Schoengood and Carolyn Rush in filing a second federal lawsuit challenging the system.
At the time, Kim was seeking the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate against then–First Lady Tammy Murphy.
Murphy had secured endorsements from numerous county Democratic organizations, giving her favorable ballot positions in counties representing roughly two-thirds of New Jersey’s Democratic voters.
Kim argued that candidates should not have to join a party-backed slate simply to receive a fair position on the ballot.
After Murphy withdrew from the race, party leaders offered Kim the same favorable ballot positions she would have received. Instead of accepting the advantage, Kim continued pursuing the lawsuit, arguing that the system itself was fundamentally unfair.
The Court Blocked the System in 2024
In March 2024, Judge Zahid Quraishi ruled in favor of Kim and the other plaintiffs, ordering county clerks to stop using the county line during that year’s Democratic primary elections.
A federal appeals court later upheld his decision.
For the first time in decades, New Jersey’s Democratic primary ballots were organized by office rather than by county party endorsements.
Although the ruling immediately affected the 2024 primary, it did not permanently eliminate every aspect of the old system, which is why the lawsuits continued.
The Law Changed, but the Legal Fight Continued
In 2025, the New Jersey Legislature enacted a new primary ballot law establishing office-block ballots, grouping candidates according to the office they are seeking.
For example, all gubernatorial candidates now appear together, as do candidates for the State Senate, General Assembly, and county offices.
However, Judge Quraishi concluded that the revised law still left county clerks with enough discretion to arrange ballots in ways that could potentially favor certain candidates.
As a result, he allowed the lawsuits to continue in May 2026.
Why Was Bergen County the Last Holdout?
Most county clerks reached settlements long before Bergen County.
After Union County settled in June 2026, Bergen County Clerk John Hogan became the only remaining clerk still defending the old system.
Hogan argued that the lawsuits should be dismissed because several plaintiffs had not demonstrated that they intended to run for office again.
In response, eight plaintiffs submitted sworn statements confirming they planned to seek local, county, or statewide office in future elections. The New Jersey Working Families Party also confirmed that it intended to endorse candidates in future election cycles.
Judge Quraishi rejected Hogan’s argument, finding that county clerks still retained enough authority under the revised law to potentially favor certain candidates through ballot design.
Following that ruling, Bergen County entered settlement negotiations.
The Bergen County Commissioners approved funding for legal costs on July 1, and after several weeks of negotiations, the parties finalized the agreement.
Bergen County Will Pay More Than $60,000
Under the settlement, Bergen County will pay $60,052.50 toward the plaintiffs’ legal fees and litigation costs.
That means Bergen County taxpayers will likely bear the cost of the county’s continued defense of the old ballot system.
Hogan also agreed to stop contesting the plaintiffs’ claims and accept detailed court-ordered rules governing future primary ballots.
How Will Primary Ballots Look Now?
Under the settlement, all candidates seeking the same office must appear together.
Each office must have its own separate random drawing, ensuring every candidate has an equal opportunity to appear first on the ballot.
County clerks may no longer use a single drawing to determine the placement of an entire party-backed slate.
Candidates for different offices may not be grouped together in ways that create the appearance of an official party ticket.
County clerks are also prohibited from separating candidates running for the same office or placing one candidate beneath or beside opponents who otherwise appear together.
Candidates may still share campaign slogans, but those slogans cannot be used to secure preferential ballot placement or deny opponents an equal opportunity in the random drawing.
These rules apply to both vote-by-mail ballots and ballots used at polling places.
A Historic Shift in New Jersey Politics
The end of the county line does not eliminate political parties or endorsements.
County organizations will still be free to endorse candidates, raise money, and support campaigns.
What has changed is that their endorsements will no longer automatically translate into a preferred position on the ballot.
Supporters of the reform believe this will create a more competitive and transparent primary election process, giving independent and lesser-known candidates a fairer opportunity to compete.
For Andy Kim and the organizations that pursued the lawsuits, the settlement represents a landmark victory for voting rights and electoral fairness.
Following the final settlement, Kim celebrated the decision in a post on X, describing it as the successful conclusion of a years-long legal fight.
“I’m proud to announce today that after a years-long legal fight in federal court, the unfair ‘County Line’ ballot in NJ is finally dead for good. Thanks to all who helped along the way. Power is being returned to the people. But as we celebrate today, the fight to fix NJ politics continues.”
Whether it will permanently reshape New Jersey politics remains to be seen, but one thing is now certain: after Bergen County’s agreement, the era of the “county line”—and the practice of sending political outsiders to “ballot Siberia”—has officially become history.
Source: Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ), X (formerly Twitter), August 4, 2026