NEW JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — A change to the election calendar in New Jersey is being celebrated by political observers who say it’s “a win for transparency.”
New Jersey’s Election Law Enforcement Commission has adjusted the date for filing campaign finance disclosures from Nov. 3 to Oct. 27.
Micah Rasmussen from Rider University’s Rebovich Institute says the timing is perfect and the initial deadline would have made it virtually impossible for people to know who’s funding political campaigns.
The commission underwent some changes this year that were criticized by political observers who said having the financial disclosure deadline just a few days before the election was opening the door to dark money corruption.
“So you really want to have a situation where you’re catching the information early,” Rasmussen said, “but you’re not catching it so early that you’re missing late-breaking fundraising — fundraising that happens after the disclosure intentionally so that you could get around the disclosure.”
He says it’s great that voters will now have more information available to them to choose a candidate.
“... Anything that gives voters more information rather than less and lets them act on that information in making their decisions makes for more informed decisions and a more informed electorate,” Rasmussen added.
Early in-person voting, which rolled out for the first time in 2021, begins Saturday, Oct. 28.
It is open 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and until 6:00 p.m. on Sunday.
“There's no excuse between this Saturday and next Sunday,” said Stephanie Salvatore, superintendent for elections in Gloucester County. “You got nine days you can find time somewhere if you're busy on Election Day, or if you're going out of town.”
Election Day is Nov. 7.