On September 15th, 2021, Governor Phil Murphy announced the appointment of three new members to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC). The ELEC is responsible for enforcing campaign finance laws and regulating the activities of lobbyists in the state of New Jersey.
The three new members appointed by Governor Murphy are:
1. Michael Harper – Harper is a partner at the law firm of Genova Burns, where he specializes in election law and government affairs. He has served as counsel to numerous political campaigns and committees, and has also worked as a lobbyist in Trenton. Harper is a graduate of Rutgers Law School.
2. Veronica Branch – Branch is the Executive Director of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, a non-profit organization that advocates for social and economic justice in the state. She has also served as a policy advisor to former Governor Jon Corzine and as a staff attorney for the New Jersey Public Defender’s Office. Branch is a graduate of Rutgers Law School.
3. Mark Magyar – Magyar is a journalist and author who has covered New Jersey politics for over 30 years. He has worked for several newspapers, including The Star-Ledger and The Bergen Record, and has also served as a policy analyst for the New Jersey Policy Perspective think tank. Magyar is a graduate of Princeton University.
The appointments of Harper, Branch, and Magyar bring the total number of ELEC commissioners to six. The other three commissioners are Jeff Brindle (who serves as ELEC’s Executive Director), Marguerite Simon (a former judge), and Stephan Finkel (a retired attorney).
The ELEC plays an important role in ensuring that New Jersey’s elections are fair and transparent. The commission is responsible for enforcing campaign finance laws, which regulate how much money candidates can raise and spend on their campaigns. ELEC also regulates the activities of lobbyists, who are required to register with the commission and disclose their clients and expenditures.
In recent years, the ELEC has been involved in several high-profile cases. In 2016, the commission fined the New Jersey Democratic State Committee $30,000 for accepting illegal contributions from a union. In 2019, ELEC fined a super PAC that supported Governor Murphy’s campaign $267,500 for failing to disclose its donors.
The appointments of Harper, Branch, and Magyar are likely to bring new perspectives and expertise to the ELEC. Harper’s experience as an election law attorney and lobbyist could be particularly valuable in helping the commission navigate complex legal issues. Branch’s background in social justice advocacy could help ensure that the ELEC is sensitive to issues of equity and fairness. And Magyar’s experience as a journalist and policy analyst could help the commission communicate its work to the public.
Overall, Governor Murphy’s appointments to the ELEC are an important development for New Jersey’s election system. With a strong and diverse commission in place, the state can continue to ensure that its elections are transparent, fair, and free from corruption.
