Today, the Republican National Committee (RNC) announced that it is providing legal resources and support to the New Jersey Republican Party (NJGOP) in an emergency lawsuit aimed at preventing the counting of approximately 300 mail-in ballots deemed “illegal” in Bergen County, New Jersey. The action comes amid heightened scrutiny over ballot processing in the state’s Democratic-leaning county, which has seen separate legal battles over mail-in procedures this year.
This case underscores ongoing national tensions over mail-in voting post-2020, with the RNC filing over 100 similar suits nationwide this cycle. It is part of a broader RNC election integrity push ahead of the 2026 midterms, including similar lawsuits in other states to tighten mail-in ballot rules.
RNC Chairman Joe Gruters released the following statement after the NJGOP intervened in a lawsuit to defend the state’s mail-in ballots security laws:
“Democrats are once again trying to change election rules at the last minute to count ineligible ballots,” said Chairman Gruters. “New Jersey law is clear — unsealed or tampered ballots can’t be counted. That’s why the RNC is supporting the NJGOP’s efforts to make sure only lawful votes are counted.”
OVERVIEW:
The RNC is supporting the NJGOP legal effort to ensure New Jersey’s mail-in voting laws are followed and that only lawful ballots are counted.
Yesterday, the New Jersey Democratic State Committee filed a lawsuit against the Bergen County Board of Elections, requesting that the board ignore the law and allow approximately 300 voters to “cure”— or fix — their mail-in ballots that were returned with unsealed envelopes.
Under New Jersey law, election officials are required to reject ballots with unsealed or tampered envelopes.
State law is clear: any mail-in ballot with an unsealed or tampered envelope must be rejected to maintain election integrity.
This litigation builds on the RNC’s efforts nationwide to enforce safeguards for absentee ballots. The RNC is engaged in lawsuits in Minnesota, New Hampshire, Georgia, Michigan, and Mississippi, where the RNC is defending President Trump’s Executive Order to ensure only lawfully cast absentee ballots are counted.
The RNC is not the lead plaintiff but is backing the NJGOP’s filing with attorneys, funding, and expertise from its election integrity network. RNC Election Integrity Network Director Matt Schlapp stated: “Democrats are once again trying to change election rules… We’re fighting to make sure only lawful votes are counted.”
No ruling has been reported as of late afternoon, but similar disputes in New Jersey have led to rapid judicial interventions, including a separate ruling earlier today rejecting over 400 “naked” (unenveloped) ballots from the same county.
New Jersey has a long, troubled history of fraudulent elections, such as a 2019 case in Bergen County in which a former mayor was charged with absentee ballot interference.
New Jersey has faced multiple election-related lawsuits in 2025: In July, the RNC sued the state for delaying the release of voter registration records under the Open Public Records Act.
In October 2025, an appeals court ordered Gloucester County to fix an “unlawful ballot design” favoring Democrats.
Thank you, RNC, and Chairman Gruters for these many important efforts to help protect our sacred elections and fight election fraud and voter fraud.
Bill Bruch
Bill Bruch is the WA State GOP Election Integrity Committee Chairman (5th year), WAGOP Executive Board Member (5th Year), Skagit County GOP Chairman (9th year), Citizen Journalist, Olympic Conference 2021 Activist of the Year Award Winner, Business Owner, 2020 WA State House Representative Candidate, Former Council Member, and WA State 2016 and 2024 RNC National Convention Delegate.
