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West Amwell man admits attempt to fraudulently place partner on 2021 Democratic gubernatorial primary ballot

James Devine, 62, of West Amwell pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempting to fraudulently get a candidate on the Democratic primary ballot in the New Jersey governor’s race in 2021.

Devine pleaded guilty to a third-degree offense concerning nomination certificates during a hearing on Aug. 26 before Judge Robert Lytle, the presiding in New Jersey Superior Court in Mercer County.

Under the terms of a plea agreement with the state’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability that is subject to court approval, the prosecution will recommend that the court require Devine to serve two years of probation. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 18.

Following an investigation, a state grand jury in Trenton returned an indictment on March 12 charging Devine with various offenses in relation to an April 2021 attempt to get his partner, Lisa McCormick, on the ballot in the Democratic primary for governor on June 8, 2021. McCormick has lost various elections over the past dozen years for both clerk and surrogate in Union County, the Rahway Council, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives. 

According to publicly filed documents and statements in court, the investigation revealed that Devine submitted about 1,948 fraudulent nominating petitions to the New Jersey Department of State’s Division of Elections in an attempt to enable McCormick to run in the primary. McCormick has unsuccessfully run for U.S. Senate

The New Jersey Democratic State Committee formally challenged Devine’s effort on April 9, 2021, raising various issues regarding the petitions he had provided, with the committee alleging there were questions about the authenticity of the petitions.

Citing the irregularities, Administrative Law Judge Jeffrey Rabin sided with the committee and struck McCormick from the ballot on April 13, 2021.

People whose names appeared on the petitions submitted by Devine provided information that they did not submit a petition, or authorize one, in support of McCormick’s nomination. The investigation revealed Devine had uploaded false voter information onto petition forms and submitted them to the Division of Elections on behalf of the campaign without the voters’ approval.

In pleading guilty, Devine acknowledged that he knew the petitions were false when he filed them.

“For the public to have faith in our elections, it’s critical for law enforcement to ensure that efforts to tamper with them are investigated and prosecuted,” said Attorney General Matt Platkin. “This defendant’s plea is a testament to my office’s commitment to fair elections and to holding bad actors accountable when they attempt to taint our democratic system.”

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Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.