The voting ballot is the foundational document of democracy owned by the people. Yet, for nearly a century, New Jersey primaries have been manipulated by the use of “county line” ballot design.

In this setup, county-endorsed candidates were grouped under well known politicians at the top of the ticket, while their challengers were scattered into hard-to-find spots called the “ballot Siberia.” Naturally, voters gravitated to the familiar names and voted down the line, unknowingly following the wishes of the county political organizations without realizing it.

The evidence showing the power of the county line is staggering: for nearly two decades, every incumbent who got on the county line in New Jersey won the primary. With the party’s blessing and that coveted spot, the pre-chosen candidates were essentially untouchable. Meanwhile, fresh voices, grassroots organizers, women, minority candidates, and newcomers were left to fight an uphill battle. 

Patricia Henry, a grassroots candidate, said she felt “invisible” on her own ballot.

By 2024, U.S. Congressman Andy Kim from South Jersey decided to challenge the establishment. He took on the system by running for the U.S. Senate against Tammy Murphy, the governor’s wife, who had already locked in the majority of the county endorsements to guarantee her prime ballot spot in many of the counties. However, Andy Kim did not back down. In an unprecedented move, he filed a lawsuit against the county line system in federal court.

The court decided in favor of Andy Kim, and thereby granted an emergent relief by ordering the primary ballots to be in office block design, where candidates are listed by office. Just like that, the built-in advantage for party-endorsed candidates disappeared and Tammy Murphy dropped out of the Senate race.

Down the Line chronicles this fight and brings the human element of the story into focus, weaving in personal stories from those who were marginalized by the county-line system. Hector Oseguera ran for Congress in 2020 and lost and explains in the film how the ballot had an adverse impact on his campaign result. He also explains the nepotism, cronyism and quid-pro-quo aspects of New Jersey politics because the results can be 

The film also features experts like Julia Sass Rubin, a Rutgers professor who grew up in the Soviet Union, who compares New Jersey’s ballots to the fixed elections from her childhood. Princeton professor Yael Niv calls the county-ballot primaries “sham elections.”

Ultimately, Down the Line exposes the fundamental flaw in New Jersey’s elections that had gone unnoticed for nearly a century. It’s a wake-up call that democracy can be fragile if the voters are not careful. The film offers hope, a reminder that if voters demand a fair fight, even a deeply entrenched system can be reformed. 

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