Judge invalidates ballot in tied election, then guesses who the voter supported
A November 2025 race for a seat on the Oakland Borough Council that ended in a tie after a recount is headed to a special election between Republican incumbent Kevin Slasinki and independent Matthew Dumpert after a judge said a description of a voter’s politics was enough to order to invalidate a vote.
Superior Court Judge Kelly A. Conlon rejected a ballot cast by Natalie Carti, the wife of former NFL player Jake Butt, pointing to evidence that the 30-year-old woman lived in Chicago and not at her parents’ home in Oakland.
Carti declined to testify – she had indicated an intention to exercise her Fifth Amendment privilege – and Conlon found her Chicago residency, including a lease, pay stubs, and W-2 forms, were inadmissible as hearsay.
But an attorney for Slasinski, Charles Reboli, called Carti’s parents and asked them to testify about their daughter’s residency – and her political leanings. Both parents told Conlon that Carti got married in April 2025 and has been residing in Chicago, executing two apartment leases there.
https://newjerseyglobe.com/local/judge-invalidates-ballot-in-tied-election-then-guess-who-the-voter-supported/