NJ Republicans using vote-by-mail application to campaign.

[no_hypocrisy]

New Jersey Vote By Mail Program is sponsored by the New Jersey Republican State Committee (http://www.NJGOP.org). The innocuous mailer includes two voting applications to allow the voter to register to vote via mail instead of physically appearing at the polling place in about ten days.

On one side it says "Voting by mail is easier than ever! Turn over for details of New Jersey's Vote By Mail Program for the November 8th General Election. Your Vote Is Critical!"

So you turn it over and it says "Vote for lower taxes and less spending. Governor Chris Christie has shown us a better way. He has cut spending, capped property taxses and put New Jersey back on track with a pro-jobs agenda. Your vote is critical to support him and like-minded Republicans as they put New Jersey bacdk on sound financial foot and make our state competitive again. By voting Republican, you can also send Barack Obama a message that his failed economic policies do not work. Your vote can stop Democrats from trying to implement these same policies in Trenton."

This election all the state's legislative representatives are up for election and re-election. The democrats are the majority in both the Senate and the Assembly. That could change after next week. The Legislature is the only way to stop or slow down Christie (although Sheila Oliver and Stephen Sweeney were disappointing in voting to increase public employees' contributions to their health and pension benefits).

[WCGreen]

1. Early voting, vote by mail, absentee voting is a great way to go....

I just sent out a whole mess of applications for a candidate here in Ohio with his name and logo all over it. We didn't do any campaigning but we sure made it clear where this application came from....

It's a great way to use party funds to campaign for your slate...

[SoCalNative]

2. Why is no one calling them on this?

There must be SOME rule against electioneering on vote-by-mail ballots.

[shraby]

3. That's tantamount to campaigning inside the polling place.

[Jim Lane]

4. I don't see the problem here. Am I missing something?

There's no indication of public funds being used. There's no indication of an improper appearance of government sponsorship. The text makes it obvious that it's from the Republican Party.

If they have all the applications go to them, instead of to a government office, and then they don't forward the ones who want to register as Democrats (or use any other selection criteria, such as ZIP code), then that would be improper and probably illegal. Otherwise, it's just effective campaigning.