Here’s why we are excited to endorse Freshta Taeb for LD12 Assembly:

Candidate order: The bill to reform New Jersey’s primary ballots (A5116) moves New Jersey closer to fair primaries by eliminating the county line ballot and instituting an office block ballot design. However, candidate order for the primary ballot will still be determined by the County Clerk or Municipal Clerk drawing names out of a bin. This provides an advantage for the candidate drawn in first position and has resulted in some clerks drawing the party endorsed candidates for first position a statistically improbable number of times. I support the following reform that would ensure a more fair candidate order on the ballot:
Rotating the order of candidates for each office by voting precinct, so each candidate appears on the ballot first, second, and so forth, approximately the same number of times (see the recently introduced bill A5181) 

Comment: Human psychology has repeatedly proven that our attention can be directed to things depending on their placement. The “Centre-Stage” effect is a good example of this, and in ballot drawings where candidates’ names appear at the top, this can influence who a person votes for if they come into the polling booth and see a candidate listed first. Reducing this to such an effect as to spread out proportionally which candidate appears at the top, would lead to a better statistical outcome and promote fairness in the electoral process.

Slogans: I support prohibiting the use of slogans to express party endorsements on primary election ballots. New Jersey is the only state that allows primary candidates to use slogans to indicate endorsements.

Comment: The point of the primary election is to determine the candidate that will represent the party in the general election. Party endorsements prior to this moment circumvent the primary process and should not be indicated on the primary election ballot, as it presents to the public a misrepresentation of the party primary process.

Voter access: I support adopting parts of H.R.1 in New Jersey in order to increase voter participation, ensure access to the ballot box, and strengthen elections, including specifically same day registration, early voting and a paper trail for machine voting that enables verification.

Comment: Fairness and accountability in our electoral process is necessary for the security and longevity of any good democratic nation. I am in favor of any legislation that promotes initiatives to increase participation in and access to the electoral process. Same-day registration would especially help ensure fair access to this process, and a paper trail ensuring the verification of machine voting would help in the promotion of confidence in how our democracy functions and how we select our representatives.

Ethics reform: I support ethics reforms that would require broader disclosure of financial information and the release of income taxes by candidates for county-level and state-level public office, as a means of transparency.

Comment: Being a public servant is a sacrifice in it of itself. With that sacrifice comes the understanding that your life is on public display, as you serve as a conduit for the ideas, policies, and reforms that would benefit the people. With that responsibility comes the necessity to build trust and understanding between yourself and the constituency. A crucial part of that relationship is the understanding of your finances to ensure accountability and responsibility of your candidacy. I am in favor of transparency that results in the building of trust between representatives and constituencies.

Campaign funding: I support the public funding of campaigns for all state-level elected offices (i.e., the state legislature and gubernatorial elections).

Comment: I support the public funding of campaigns to limit the dependency and role of money as a role in the electoral process to ensure fairness across all levels of our democracy.

Redistricting: I support placing a nonpartisan commission in charge of the legislative redistricting process.

Comment: Running as a candidate in LD-12, it is very clear to see the subtle gerrymandering that takes place. A nonpartisan commission is needed to create well-represented districts that reflect the values of the constituencies they encompass.

Public Advocate: I support passing legislation to reinstate the statewide Office of the Public Advocate that was eliminated in 2010.

Comment: Yes, having an Office dedicated to the accountability process in modern politics is necessary to the security and longevity of our democracy and would continue the mission of trust-building between representatives and constituencies.

Posting of state bills: I support requiring that bills be posted in written form at least 72 hours prior to committee discussion or vote, and that budget bills be posted at least 5 business days in advance of discussion or vote, to improve transparency in the legislative process.

Comment: I support the public access to legislation so that people may understand what their elected representatives are discussing in the position the people elected them to serve in. Having as much time as possible for proposed legislation to circulate to the public increases transparency and trust.

State legislative meetings: I support making all committee meetings accessible to the public for attendance and testimony by online means (e.g., via zoom) and streaming of voting sessions to increase availability and transparency of government.

Comment: I support public access across the board to information regarding the inner workings of the governmental processes that are naturally already publicly accessible. Just because an individual may not be able to attend a monthly planning board meeting does not mean they should be restricted from valuable public information.

Full time legislature: I support making the state legislature full-time and prohibiting the simultaneous holding of other paid positions, so as to eliminate conflicts of interest and sources of influence and pressure on state legislators.

Comment: I support making the state legislature a full-time position. Public servants should not have any conflicts of interest between their jobs as elected representatives and their other lines of business.

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More information about Freshta Taeb:

Email: taebforassembly@gmail.com
Phone number: (347) 429-0320
Campaign website: ‪taebforassembly.com
Social media: Instagram
Party affiliation: Democratic party

Date of Birth: 4/11/1982
Current Occupation: FT Translation Services LLC/Interventionist
Education: B.A. Poli-Sci/Theology, BHIT
Public/party service: Senior leader and subject matter expert focused on the successful resettlement of refugee populations. Extensive experience in grassroots campaigning, community engagement, and policy development. Proven expertise in fostering understanding between underserved populations and government entities. A dedicated advocate for political and social causes, specializing in outreach, voter mobilization, and representation of diverse communities.