A longtime political operative in Union and Middlesex counties is facing criminal charges for allegedly filing nearly 2,000 fraudulent petitions in an attempt to get his domestic partner's name on the 2021 Democratic primary ballot for governor.
James Devine, 61, of West Amwell, has been charged with one count of violating laws on nominating certificates or petitions and one count of tampering with public records or information, both third-degree crimes, and one count of falsifying or tampering with records, a fourth-degree crime, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced Tuesday.
The charges arise from Devine's attempt to get Lisa McCormick's name on the Democratic primary ballot to challenge incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021.
In 2018, McCormick received 40% of the votes in the Democratic primary in a challenge to incumbent U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez.
According to Platkin, Devine allegedly emailed the Secretary of State’s Division of Elections about 1,948 fraudulent voter certifications in support of McCormick's petition for a spot on the ballot. Because of the ongoing COVID pandemic, the state allowed electronic signatures on the nominating papers.
A few days later, on April 9, 2021, the New Jersey Democratic State Committee challenged Devine's paperwork by detailing issues with the voter certifications, including a certification that at least one voter was dead, Platkin said.
In addition, every voter certification was in the same font and signature style and one...
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