This year, I am running for County Clerk as an Independent. The Monmouth County Clerk runs the elections. In the 127 years since 1898, the Republicans have held the Clerk's office for 120. Christine Hanlon, the current Clerk, violates the law to put independent and not favored candidates' names far away from their opponents, as if they weren't even in that race. Notice on the sample ballot below how the names of the Independent Council candidates Morgan Spicer and Zachary Brown are off to the right, with three blank spaces between themselves and the Republican and Democratic opponents they are running against.

Office Title	Republican	Democratic		Nomination by Petition	Nomination by Petition	Nomination by Petition	Nomination by Petition	Personal Choice
Governor and Lieutenant Governor Vote for One Slate	P Jack CIATTARELLI Diane Allen	Philip MURPHY Sheila Y. Oliver	P	P Madelyn R. HOFFMAN Heather Warburton Green Party	P Gregg MELE Eveline Brownstein Libertarian Party	P Joanne KUNIANSKY Vivian M. Sahner Socialist Workers Party		Write In	P
State Senate 13th Legislative District Vote for One	P Declan O'SCANLON	Vincent SOLOMENO III	P					Write In	P
General Assembly 13th Legislative District Vote for Two	P Gerard P. SCHARFENBERGER	Erin HOWARD	P					Write In	P
	P Vicky FLYNN	Allison FRIEDMAN	P					Write In	P
Surrogate Vote for One	P Maureen T. RAISCH	Leslie B. POSNOCK	P					Write In	P
County Commissioner Vote for One	P Susan M. KILEY	Michael BESON	P					Write In	P
Borough Council Vote for Two	P James P. MURPHY	Brian DOUGHERTY	P				P Morgan SPICER Bring Back Balance	Write In	P
	P Ellen Y. O'DWYER-WOODS	Lesley Angela D'ALMEIDA	P				P Zachary BROWN Bring Back Balance	Write In	P

Here's what N.J.S.A 19:14-12 Procedure for determining position on ballot says: "The name of the party first drawn shall occupy the first column at the left of the ballot, and the name of the party next drawn shall occupy the second column, and so forth."

Giving a column to the minor parties is illegal.

19:5-1. Powers of and restrictions upon political parties; party columns on official ballot
"No political party which fails to poll at any primary election for a general election at least ten per centum (10%) of the votes cast in the State for members of the General Assembly at the preceding general election, ...shall be entitled to have a party column on the official ballot. In such case the names of the candidates so nominated shall be printed in the column or columns designated 'Nomination by Petition'."

Further, Superior Court of New Jersey Appellate Division held in Axtell v. Caputo

"clerk had to use lines in precise order in which they appeared on machine and Could Not Leave A Blank Line between the names of two candidates." What could be clearer? 85 N.J. Super Axtell v. Caputo. Link to full decision.

Hanlon also allows favored candidates onto the ballot after the deadline or with insufficient signatures. The Democrats don't care who the Clerk is as long as they are biased in favor of the two major parties.

Public officials are immune from prosecution for official acts, which is why it's so important to have honest people running the elections and in all other elective offices.

Why Politics is Broken

Most people I've spoken to were very unhappy with the choices in last year's election. In addition to dissatisfaction with the choice between Biden, Trump, and Harris, of the 80 municipal office races in Monmouth County, 52, or 65% had no opponent. Democrats didn't run candidates in 45, a majority, which is why they can't win countywide offices. They don't try.

Here's why the political system is broken. The Republicans and Democrats have legislated themselves into a position of permanent power. Until 1988, the only way to get into the state legislature was by being elected. In 1988, voters were defrauded of their right to fill vacancies in the legislature, and that power was taken from voters and given to the political parties. The enabling legislation even punishes districts that elect an independent. So, is it any wonder that turnout in the 2023 legislative elections was 27%? A 27% turnout in a General Election is not a democratic election. Do you know the names of your state legislators? Probably not, because your input was not needed to pick them.

Money

Everyone knows that campaigns have become too expensive. The parties spent $122 million on the gubernatorial Primary Election. That's $20 per registered voter and $100 for every ballot cast. Sean Spicer spent $38 million to get 89,472 votes, or about $425 per vote.

Campaign finance laws also discriminate against independents. New Jersey has a gubernatorial race this year. It also has a publicly financed scheme for candidates for governor who agree to participate in debates and to a spending limit. Candidates must raise $580,000 BEFORE becoming eligible for public matching funds. In exchange, they must agree to participate in debates. Here's the kicker. Candidates who fail to raise the requisite $580,000 are prohibited from participating in the state-mandated debates. In other words, what is called "public financing" is actually a public subsidy for candidates who already have access to private contributions. Public financing pays for a system that excludes candidates who can't raise $580,000 from participating in debates, even if they qualify for the ballot.

New Jersey has designed a campaign finance scheme that is, in effect, a property qualification for public office. It's no accident that the overwhelming number of elected officials are wealthy or lawyers. Candidates with low-cost or money-saving solutions to serious problems are systematically prevented from being heard. This is why taxes keep rising.

I am not asking for money and have no intention of doing so. The only way to take money out of politics is to show that elections can be won without spending any money. I am asking for your vote and for you to tell everyone you know that there is an independent candidate running for County Clerk this year. And ask them to tell everyone they know. And please share this email with others in Monmouth County.What I need more than anything is to meet people and get my message out. I have learned a lot over the past 60 years about how Republicans and Democrats both cheat to win elections. If you are a member of an organization, I would be happy to come and answer questions from the membership or even just a group of friends and neighbors.

When I ran for Sheriff three years ago, spending no money while the Asbury Park Press (which receives tax dollars by law) didn't mention the race, I still got 5,127 votes just from word of mouth. Voters should be much more receptive this year.

The political polarization is caused by the exclusion of independent candidates from the process. The Supreme Court has declared money to be "speech" and removed all limits on how much individuals and corporations can spend on politics. At the same time, it virtually outlaws poor candidates by allowing them to be excluded from publicly funded forums because of low poll numbers.

There will never be fair elections with a Republican or Democrat as Clerk. For fair and honest elections, vote for Independent Joshua Leinsdorf for Monmouth County Clerk. Please spread the word. Thanks for reading this message.

Contact: Joshua Leinsdorf

Return to Leinsdorf for Monmouth County Clerk Webpage (Please email this link to other voters in Monmouth County)