On Friday, Oct. 23, the day before early voting begins in New Jersey, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J., 5th District) announced two bipartisan bills to protect election workers and ballot drop boxes, along with a pledge to accept a peaceful transfer of power, at the Fort Lee Community Center. The bills would make tampering with a drop box a federal crime and extend protection to the families of election workers. He also spoke about multilingual assistance at polling places. Early voting runs daily from Oct. 24, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (until 6 p.m. on Sundays).
On Friday, Oct. 23, the day before early voting begins in New Jersey, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J., 5th District) announced the next phase of his "election protection strategy" at the Fort Lee Community Center. It consists of two bipartisan bills to protect poll workers and ballot drop boxes, and a pledge by members of Congress to accept the results of elections. State Sen. Gordon Johnson, Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco, Bergen County Clerk John Hogan, Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, and Fort Lee Councilmembers Ila Kasofsky, Peter Suh and Harvey Sohmer joined him.
Three Measures
Gottheimer said, "The right to vote is the most sacred right guaranteed by our Constitution," adding, "We will not let anyone, at home or abroad, interfere in our elections." He cited last November's election, when polling places in Paterson, Ewing and parts of Bergen County were briefly closed by email bomb threats. The threats were later found to be not credible and a minor was arrested, but voters were sent to other polling places amid the confusion.
Bergen County has more than 35 ballot drop boxes. Gottheimer pointed to the 2024 incidents in Oregon and Washington, where drop boxes were set on fire and the ballots inside were burned, and said he wants to create a legal basis for federal prosecutors to bring charges immediately if the same thing happens again. According to a Brennan Center survey, 38% of local election officials in the U.S. said they had been threatened or harassed because of their work, and one in six said they had received threats of violence.
Multilingual Assistance, Mail-In Voting, Opposition to Passport Requirements
He also laid out his position on voting access that day. He supports early voting and extended voting periods, mail-in voting, and secure mobile voting, and said polling place signage should be provided in multiple languages. He opposes new barriers such as requiring a passport to register to vote. He also said he would work to increase New Jersey's share of federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) funding so that each county has enough polling places and voting machines. For Korean American voters who are not comfortable in English, multilingual guidance at polling places is a matter that directly affects them.
Gottheimer, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, warned that Russia, China, North Korea and Iran are trying to disrupt U.S. elections using artificial intelligence and social media. He was on the House floor during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, and in 2022 he helped lead the Electoral Count Reform Act, which overhauled the Electoral College vote-counting process, together with Sen. Susan Collins.
Early Voting Starts Tomorrow
Early voting in New Jersey runs from Saturday, Oct. 24, through Sunday, Nov. 1, the Sunday before Election Day. Polls are open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., closing at 6 p.m. on Sunday. Polling place locations are available at NJ.gov/vote. Mail-in ballots can be placed in a drop box until 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.