NJ Activists Take on Dark Money, Legislative Secrets and Ballot Siberia

New Jersey activists gathered on Saturday to launch a statewide effort to reform the state's electoral politics, including an ethics package that is intended to break the grip of party machines.

Several groups have formed a coalition called "Take Back NJ" that includes New Jersey Working Families, NJ 11th for Change and other progressive organizations that formed in the wake of the 2016 election. The coalition is launching a campaign that takes aim what they call “soft corruption” – the ways the activists say money, patronage and the layout of the ballot undermine democracy.

Imani Oakley of New Jersey Working Families was pleased that more than a hundred people gave up their Saturday to learn about state politics.

"There’s a lot of energy here and we actually had a really good showing," Oakley said. "We want to get them more involved so that we can actually do what we set out to do, which is making democracy better.

The event ran much like a teach-in.  Presentations from an election lawyer, advocates and college professors offered a primer on ways the powerful keep their power. There was a session on how the New Jersey legislature is making it easier to hide corporate money in politics with a bill that is presented as a curb on secret PAC donations, but actually does little to unmask donors. Another session focused on how the leadership in the state legislature has consolidated its power over the past 20 years.

"An example of how they punish legislators is they can take away key assignments from major committees," said Rutgers Professor Julia Sass Rubin.

There were also presentations on how Democratic Party bosses, like George Norcross, put their own people on boards, commissions and authorities that control many of the functions of government.  And a session on how party bigwigs exert control of the ballot through "the line" --  the column that includes all the candidates best known to voters.

"Every year with the primary, progressive candidates who are not beholden to the party machine, who are not serving the party bosses, they do not get the line," said Yael Niv, a Princeton University professor and founder of the Good Government Coalition of New Jersey. "They are literally squeezed out by being put in ballot Siberia."

Take Back NJ plans to introduce a package of ethics reforms to curb corporate money in politics and create more transparency in government. That would include another longtime priority of the progressive groups — strengthening the state’s Open Public Records Act, which currently doesn't require state legislators to make their records available to the public. The lawmakers exempted themselves when they wrote the legislation, and the activists concede that will make reforming the system much harder.