AC Ballots
Superior Court Judge Julio Mendez on Monday denied a request by Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian’s campaign to be present when the county’s 6,100 vote-by-mail ballots are reviewed by staff of the Board of Elections, reports Amy Rosenberg for The Inquirer. The campaign had wanted to challenge ballots it contends were improperly submitted – but Mendez did set some particular requirements on the election board to safeguard mail-in ballot documentation. Separately, today’s election day. Find Atlantic County polling locations here – and follow our site tonight and find us on @route_40 on Twitter, where we’ll be live blogging and tweeting results as they come in.
Fall colors and morning sun rays via Darleen (@darleenstamps on Instagram).
More Election Money
Close to $3 million has been raised by Republican and Democratic candidates for New Jersey’s second district (AKA most of Atlantic County). We updated our survey of campaign funding with the late-breaking 48-hour filings from both campaigns. We also added in some details on in-kind contributions, independent “dark money” committees and some comments from the Democratic campaign (Republican campaign officials have not immediately responded to our request for comment). Read the updated piece here. We will continue to follow the money as more filings come in after the election. Separately, read this piece from Governing on why the NJEA’s campaign to unseat Senate President Steve Sweeney is a waste of money.
In the rest of the day’s headlines, the clock is ticking for those who want to save Camden’s historic high school building from demolition, Menendez’ corruption trial is going to the jury and read about the new “King Tide” norm. All that and more below:
NJ Puts New Rule In Place To Limit Air Pollution From Soot–The state yesterday adopted a rule that aims to keep New Jersey in compliance with an important federal air-quality standard designed to limit pollution from a contaminant linked to many respiratory ailments. The state Department of Environmental Protection adopted the rule with only minor changes, intending to reduce emissions of fine particulate matter, or soot, a pollutant believed to cause tens of thousands of premature deaths a year. www.njspotlight.com
250 Lawyers Will Be Stationed Across N.J. for Election Day–New Jersey's top law enforcement officer says he's taking extra steps to ensure the integrity of Election Day votes throughout the state. Attorney General Christopher Porrino says that about 250 lawyers will be assigned throughout the state to assist county election officials in any voting-related legal issues. www.snjtoday.com
Asthma Program Aims To Stop Attacks Before They Start By Identifying Triggers In The Home–The coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath caused by asthma results in thousands of children in New Jersey each year missing school, seeking emergency care and being admitted to the hospital. But much of that suffering and expense could be avoided if kids and their families were able to stick to their medication schedule and get rid of the triggers that provoke their asthma attacks, health officials say. www.northjersey.com
Judge Denies Atlantic City Mayor’s Request For ‘Wholesale’ Pre-Election Day Ballot Review–Superior Court Judge Julio Mendez denied a request Monday by the campaign of Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian to be present when the county’s 6,100 vote-by-mail ballots are reviewed by staff of the Board of Elections to allow the campaign to challenge ballots it contends were improperly submitted. Mendez said nothing in the law requires a “wholesale” review by official challengers of all mail-in ballots prior to the ballots being processed by the board at the staff level. www.philly.com
With Excavators Ready, State Board Won’t Consider Historic-Site Status For Camden High School–The clock is ticking for Camden High School alumni who hope to save their alma mater from the state’s demolition plans. And in recent days, their chances have dwindled further. A proposal to designate the building a historic site was dropped on October 27 from the agenda for the Nov. 9 meeting of the State Review Board for Historic Sites. www.philly.com