Our community's voting process is under scrutiny once again as Atlantic County faces another year of delayed mail-in ballot deliveries—a problem that has persisted for four consecutive election cycles.
Atlantic County Democratic Chairman Michael Suleiman issued a call on Wednesday, April 30, for the New Jersey Attorney General's Office to launch a formal investigation into the recurring failures. The request comes as voters across the county are only now receiving ballots that state law required be delivered starting Saturday, April 18—nearly two weeks ago.
"It's truly embarrassing how incompetent the Atlantic County Clerk's Office is at getting Vote by Mail ballots out on time," said Suleiman. "These delays have been going on for the past four years. This gross incompetence by the Clerk's Office, and the ballot printer, and/or the mailhouse is unacceptable. I've been voting by mail for years and I'm finally receiving my ballot today."
A Multi-Party Process Gone Wrong
The ballot delivery process involves several entities working in coordination. Atlantic County government contracts with a ballot printer to produce the physical ballots. That printer then engages a mailhouse responsible for addressing, stamping, and delivering the ballots to the United States Postal Service for final distribution to voters.
Suleiman's investigation request specifically names the Atlantic County Clerk's Office, the ballot printer Royal Printing Services in West New York, and the printer's mailhouse Universal Mailings in Piscataway. He's asking state investigators to establish a clear timeline: when ballots were printed, when they reached the mailhouse, and when they were actually handed off to postal workers.
Atlantic County Stands Alone
What makes this situation particularly frustrating for local voters is the stark contrast with the rest of New Jersey. Nearly every other county in the state has already reported receiving completed ballots back from voters—a process that can't even begin in Atlantic County when voters haven't received their ballots in the first place.
"Every other county can get ballots out on time so there's no excuse for Atlantic County," said Suleiman. "Enough is enough. We need the state to get involved here and hold people accountable. I am imploring the Attorney General's Office to take appropriate action."
The repeated nature of these delays raises serious questions about accountability and oversight. When a problem persists across multiple election cycles, it suggests systemic failures rather than isolated incidents. For voters who rely on mail-in ballots—whether due to work schedules, mobility issues, or personal preference—these delays create real barriers to participation in our democratic process.
As our community awaits a response from the Attorney General's Office, the immediate concern remains ensuring that every voter who requested a mail-in ballot receives it with adequate time to complete and return it. The call for investigation may bring long-term solutions, but voters need answers—and their ballots—now.
