Governor Phil Murphy issued Executive Order 177 to create a modified vote-by-mail election this year, suspending the sending of sample ballots and requiring each county to send vote-by-mail ballots with prepaid postage to all active registered voters. The order, signed on Aug. 14, drew criticism from Republicans, who raised concerns about costs, inefficiency and voter fraud.
Just prior to the issuing of the executive order, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to raise concerns about fraud in New Jersey. “Absentee Ballots are fine. A person has to go through a process to get and use them. Mail-In Voting, on the other hand, will lead to the most corrupt Election in USA history,” wrote Trump. “Bad things happen with Mail-Ins. Just look at the Special Election in Patterson, NJ. 19% of Ballots a FRAUD!”
