Trump Campaign, Republican National Committee Sue N.J. Gov. Phil Murphy Over Vote-By-Mail Executive Order
MONTCLAIR, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- The Trump Campaign and the Republican National Committee are suing New Jersey's governor over plans to mail ballots to nearly every registered voter in the state.
It comes as the state preparing for a mostly vote-by-mail election this November, CBS2's Nick Caloway reported.
It's shaping up to be an incredibly busy fall for the U.S. Postal Service, after Gov. Phil Murphy announced last week that New Jersey voters would cast their ballots for president predominantly by mail.
"Prior to this election, there was an opportunity to vote by mail in New Jersey. So we have a history of it in New Jersey," said Elizabeth Matto of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University.
Matto said the state already has a successful history of voting by mail, albeit on a smaller scale.
ELECTION GUIDE: How To Register, Get An Absentee Ballot, And More
This October, more than 6 million registered voters will receive mail-in ballots. A voter fills in the ballot and sends it back in the mail. Signatures are verified to ensure votes are legitimate.
Voters can also drop it in one of the secure drop boxes. At least 10 of them are stationed across each county. Also, voters still have the option of voting in-person, but it's only a provisional ballot. First, officials will check to see if you sent a mail-in.
Each municipality must open at least one polling location.
Most voters Caloway talked to like the idea of casting a ballot by mail, instead of standing in line during a pandemic.
"I would like to. I feel more comfortable voting by mail. I feel safer, and more protected," added said Kerry Demgard of Nutley.
But others said they are worried about how secure the process is.
"I don't like it just because it's easy to get messed up. They lose it, it's easy to corrupt because you're not in control of that situation," said Allison O'Braza of Bloomfield.
WEB EXTRA: Read The Trump Campaign Lawsuit (.pdf)
In a lawsuit, the Trump Campaign and the Republican National Committee are asking the court to overturn Gov. Murphy's executive order on mail-in ballots. President Donald Trump has warned of widespread vote-by-mail fraud.
Murphy called the lawsuit a propaganda campaign.
"The president's campaign is putting itself on record as wanting to de-legitimize our November election, instead of working with us to ensure that voters' rights are upheld alongside public health," Murphy said.
Professor Matto also warned that the American people may not know who wins the election on Election Night.
"This could be a different election, not just in New Jersey, nationwide, in that we might not have our results immediately," Matto said.
The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 13.
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