HACKENSACK—Bergen County elections officials have provided the names and party affiliations of poll workers who worked during early in-person voting and the 2025 General Election to the Republican National Committee.
The disclosure followed a legal complaint filed March 2 by the RNC.
In its Superior Court filing, the RNC said it sought the information to ensure polling sites are staffed with “bipartisan poll workers,” arguing its “legitimate interest in oversight of election integrity” outweighs any confidentiality concerns raised by the Bergen County Board of Elections. The complaint can be found on New Jersey eCourts at BER-L-002599-26.
County counsel initially denied the RNC’s Open Public Records Act request, officials said. The RNC then filed suit March 2. The matter was resolved March 17 with a stipulation of dismissal with prejudice, and the RNC withdrew the complaint March 19.
County election officials told Pascack Press that the names of students working Election Day polls—mostly high school students who were 17 years old—were redacted from the files provided to the RNC.
The complaint states the RNC requested the information from all 21 counties in New Jersey and obtained it from 17; it does not explain why the remaining counties were not included.
Board of Elections Chair Richard Miller said the county already works to ensure bipartisan staffing at polling sites, aiming for an equal number of Democratic and Republican poll workers and, when needed, shifting workers between towns.
“To me it’s a non-issue here. We’re always about trying to have the same amount of Republican and Democrat poll workers at polling places,” Miller told Pascack Press, adding he has “never before” heard bipartisanship raised as a concern in Bergen County. “My job is to make sure elections run smoothly and right.”
Poll workers are local residents who assist with check-in, monitor voting equipment, and help ensure procedures are followed at polling places. Their role is administrative, and they do not count or tabulate votes, which are handled through separate county election systems.
County officials have said the request reflects continued national efforts to question election integrity, despite repeated findings that U.S. elections are secure, including mail-in and early voting systems. Pascack Press did not receive a response to inquiries to the RNC.
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule later this year on whether mail-in ballots received after Election Day may be counted.
“I don’t see that ruling really affecting the election at all,” Miller said.
He said Bergen County maintains nearly three dozen secure ballot drop boxes, with ballots collected daily by bipartisan teams accompanied by a police officer.
“The best way to ensure your mail-in ballot arrives is to drop it in a convenient drop box near you,” Miller said.