A New Jersey county declared the wrong winner in a school board race, seating a candidate who actually lost by four votes after initially being declared the winner by twenty.
Story Overview
- Monmouth County election officials incorrectly declared Steve Clayton the winner of an Ocean Township school board seat in November 2022
- A recount revealed Clayton actually lost to Jeffrey Weinstein by four votes, forcing a reversal after Clayton had already taken office
- State attorney general investigation found software misconfiguration and human error caused the miscount, not fraud
- The incident occurred during heightened national scrutiny of election integrity, raising questions about voting technology reliability
When Computers Get the Math Wrong
The Monmouth County debacle began with what election officials thought was routine vote tabulation. Steve Clayton celebrated his apparent 20-vote victory for the Ocean Township school board seat, took the oath of office, and began serving. Nobody suspected that Election Systems & Software voting machines had miscalculated the results due to software configuration errors compounded by human mistakes during the counting process.
The error remained hidden until a mandatory recount revealed the stunning truth. Jeffrey Weinstein, who had conceded defeat, actually won by four votes. This reversal forced an unprecedented situation where a seated board member had to step down in favor of his opponent, creating administrative chaos and public embarrassment for county officials.
The Investigation Uncovers Preventable Failures
State Attorney General Matthew Platkin launched an independent investigation led by former Attorney General Peter Harvey. The probe examined every aspect of the vote counting process, from machine programming to human oversight procedures. Investigators scrutinized whether the errors indicated broader systemic problems or potential malicious interference that could compromise election integrity statewide.
The investigation concluded that software misconfiguration created the initial problem, but human error amplified it during the tabulation process. Election workers failed to catch discrepancies that proper audit procedures should have identified. The report found no evidence of fraud or deliberate manipulation, but revealed significant gaps in oversight and quality control that allowed preventable mistakes to determine electoral outcomes.
Technology Versus Trust in Elections
The Monmouth County incident exposed vulnerabilities in electronic voting systems that many voters assumed were foolproof. Election Systems & Software machines, used across multiple states, rely on complex programming that can malfunction when improperly configured. The company faced scrutiny over whether adequate safeguards existed to prevent similar errors in other jurisdictions using their equipment.
Critics argued the incident proved electronic voting systems create unacceptable risks to democratic processes. They advocated for paper ballot systems or enhanced audit protocols that would catch errors before wrong candidates take office. Supporters of electronic systems countered that the recount process worked as designed, ultimately correcting the mistake and demonstrating system resilience rather than fundamental flaws.
Broader Implications for Election Confidence
The New Jersey error occurred during a period of unprecedented national debate over election integrity following the 2020 presidential election. Any irregularity, regardless of cause, risked further eroding public trust in electoral processes. State officials recognized that transparent handling of the incident would either restore confidence through accountability or damage it through perceived cover-ups.
New Jersey’s response included public release of the full investigation report and implementation of recommended reforms. These measures addressed vendor oversight, audit procedures, and transparency requirements designed to prevent similar incidents. However, the damage to public confidence proved harder to repair than the administrative problems that caused the original error.
Sources:
Governing.com: New Jersey County Declared Wrong Election Winner Last November
Verified Voting: New Jersey Audit Law
