Voters in the November 2024 Presidential Election in BurlingtonCounty, New Jersey experienced unprecedented delays in the ability tocast their ballot on election day which led to profound voterfrustration and notably reduced voter participation.
Subsequent investigations by multiple entities reveal substantial issues in election management, technology implementation, and administrative oversight. Extensive documentation and post-election analyses highlighted a series of critical problems.
Burlington Voters always Turnout for Presidential Elections, except for 2024.
Historically, Burlington County has had robust voter participation in presidential elections, with turnout rates of 71.5% in 2016 and 77.6% in 2020, consistently exceeding the statewide averages. However, in November 2024, voter turnout dramatically declined to 62%, despite an 8.2% increase in voter registration from 2020 to 2024. This stark contrast highlights the severity of the barriers voters faced during this election.
Voting Machine Changes
Voters encountered considerable delays in part due to the introduction of Dominion Imagecast X Prime BMD voting machines, replacing the simpler Dominion Sequoia AVC system. These new machines added several additional steps to the voting process, including inserting smartcards, navigating multiple digital screens, printing ballots, and scanning for tabulation. These complexities increased individual voting times from a standard 6–8minutes to approximately 10–13 minutes, especially for voters unfamiliar with the technology or encountering technical malfunctions such as printer or scanner jams.
Insufficient Numbers of Voting Machines
Furthermore, the county's insufficient allocation of ballot tabulators exacerbated the delays. With just 231 tabulators deployed for processing over 125,000ballots, Burlington County had the highest voter-to-tabulator ratio in the state at 544 voters per machine, significantly exceeding the state average of 267. This shortage created excessively long lines and extensive wait times for voters.
Operational inefficiencies at polling stations further compounded voters' difficulties. Several polling locations failed to open on time due to technical problems, with reports indicating only partial operational equipment available in critical early hours, thereby significantly extending voter wait times.
Widespread Confusion at Poll Closing Time
Communication breakdowns also resulted in widespread confusion about poll closing times, leaving voters and poll workers uncertain about the official closing hour. Consequently, some polling places remained operational well past the intended closing time, with some locations still open after midnight, while many others closed at 8pm, severely impacting voters’ schedules and accessibility.
Voter Disenfranchisement on Steroids
These significant operational shortcomings directly led to 1,160 voters checking in but subsequently leaving without voting, frustrated by the extensive delays. Historical turnout analysis estimates that approximately25,140 additional voters might have participated if not for these barriers, indicating a substantial voter suppression effect.
Politics Above Voters
Internal communications and public records received via OPRA further exposed the scale of the mismanagement. County election officials acknowledged poor decision-making and an inadequately managed rollout of new technology. A commissioned internal review by the Burlington County Board of Elections remains unpublished due to disagreements among election offices.
Independent Review
The Burlington County Commissioners, in an effort to redirect voter angst away from the county, hired the law firm Connell Foley to conduct an independent external investigation to identify what went wrong during the election and to make recommendations regarding improvements. Click here to review the firm’s interim report. The final report is due early in 2026.
Conclusion
The November 2024 election clearly underscores an urgent need for Burlington County to fundamentally overhaul election management practices, technology deployment strategies, and communication protocols, prioritizing voter accessibility and restoring public confidence in the electoral process.
