Here’s why we enthusiastically endorse James Dalton for LD10 Assembly:
The “County Line” in primary election ballots: Being placed in a preferential ballot position unfairly benefits some candidates and disadvantages others. Recognizing the outsize influence of the “county line” primary election ballots on the outcomes of elections, and the considerable voter confusion that they cause, I will support changing the NJ primary ballot to an “Office Bloc” design as is used in every other state and in some counties in NJ (see http://ggcnj.org/resolution for more information).
Ballot Order: Following best practices in 16 states, I will support implementing a rotational ballot order system that ensures to the greatest extent possible that all candidates running for the same office receive the first and subsequent ballot positions in an equal number of election districts and no candidate is advantaged over other candidates on the basis of their ballot placement (see http://ggcnj.org/resolution for more details).
Voter access: I support adopting parts of H.R.1 in New Jersey in order to increase voter participation, ensure access to the ballot box, and strengthen elections, including specifically same day registration, early voting and a paper trail for machine voting that enables verification.
Comment: I definitely agree with this and support it. It is obvious that there is disparagement among citizens in regards to voting. There are no reasons why there should be any hindrances in registration and voting.
Ethics reform: I support ethics reforms that would require broader disclosure of financial information and the release of income taxes by candidates for county-level and state-level public office, as a means of transparency.
Campaign funding: I support the public funding of campaigns for all state-level elected offices (i.e., the state legislature and gubernatorial elections).
Comment: I say maybe to this because while public funding for candidates seems like a fair reasonable idea, that doesn’t stop outside parties from getting involved on their own. I don’t know if public funding solves the problem. While I feel that there are definitely candidates rigging the system for themselves, I feel like a larger conversation should happen in regards to campaign finance.
Redistricting: I support placing a nonpartisan commission in charge of the legislative redistricting process.
Comment: I feel like this is a no brainer. I definitely support non-partisan redistricting when those circumstances arise, but there is a bigger problem with this. How do we find and vet a “non-partisan” commission?
Public Advocate: I support passing legislation to reinstate the statewide Office of the Public Advocate that was eliminated in 2010.
Posting of bills: I support requiring bills to be posted a minimum of 72hrs prior to voting in the legislature, to allow legislators to read bills thoroughly and obtain feedback from the public.
Comment: Reading this question leads me to assume that this is not a common practice and if it is not a common practice I find it disappointing.
Legislative meetings: I support making all committee meetings accessible to the public for attendance and testimony by online means (e.g., via zoom) and streaming of voting sessions even after COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, to increase availability and transparency of government.
Comment: Once again, I feel like this is a no brainer. There’s no reason why these votes can’t be made public in real time.
Full time legislature: I support making the state legislature full-time and prohibiting the simultaneous holding of other paid positions, so as to eliminate conflicts of interest and sources of influence and pressure on state legislators.
Comment: For my own sake, if this position could be full-time and it paid full-time including benefits, that would make all the difference for me. I have a son that I need to take care of, and I need to give him the best life possible, and so if I was going to do this full-time and forgo other sources of income, it would have to be fair.
More information about James Dalton:
Email: jamesdaltonjr@gmail.com
Phone: 732-996-4838
Campaign website: forthcoming
Social media: Instagram @jamesdaltonjr, FB @jamesdaltonjr
Party affiliation: Democratic party
Date of Birth: 3/1/1974
Current Occupation: Currently, since my main industry has been shut down, I am doing a variety of labor jobs
Education: I graduated point Pleasant Beach high school in 1992 and while I did not graduate college, I took classes at a number of places including Rutgers University, Brookdale Community College and Ocean County College
Public/party service: This is my first time in any political setting, but I have been the manager of the Bay Head Farmers Market for a number of years, assistant manager of the Point Pleasant Beach Farmers Market in years past, an active member of the Point Pleasant Beach Arts Committee and I have donated my time and my music to numerous charities and events over the years, including Restore the Shore, Walk For Cancer and the Light of Day.
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