Primary Season is well under way. Check the elections section for information.
Here is an interview with Democratic Primary candidates for General Assembly, Brandon Saffold and Carolyn Rush.
***2025 METHODS AND PROCESSES UPDATE***
Our approach this year will be a bit different, a little more direct and a little less benefit of the doubt.
Learn More When we first started doing this, it was understandable for many candidates to not communicate with the new kids on the block. Leadership is busy, that's understandable. During our second year, we made some progress with figuring out community networking and how local politics work. Now that we're in our third year, some things are clear: The local politicians know who we are and what we're trying to accomplish. Everyone has been contacted through various means. If we don't have the info, it's because people either aren't cooperating, or there is no info to convey. So we're making the language a little more clear to reflect that, and we've added a transparency meter to our candidate pages to give readers a rough idea of who is on top of letting voters know what's up to a reasonably sufficient standard, and who isn't. Also, be sure to go into candidate's quick summaries on their candidate pages for our impressions.
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Saffold And Rush Interview Summary

Read to get a quick breakdown of the two and a half hour interview.

This table highlights the key topics covered in the 2.5-hour interview, summarizing major takeaways per section.

Timestamp Topic Key Takeaways
0:00 – 6:00 Intro / Voter Access Steven explains the origin of InformTheVoteNJ and the difficulty in accessing timely info on candidates; praises Saffold and Rush for showing up and being transparent.
6:00 – 13:00 Candidate Bios Saffold shares Coast Guard, veteran experience, and Princeton background. Rush shares engineering career, EZ-Pass project, and transition into politics after retiring.
14:00 – 20:00 Veterans / Safe Staffing Both support better VA staffing, access to mental healthcare, and similar efforts in civilian elder care. Mention of existing bills A3683/S2700.
20:00 – 36:00 County Line Reform Rush explains the system and lawsuit she joined with Andy Kim. Both oppose the "county line" ballot design and support statewide office-block format.
36:00 – 47:00 Affordable Housing Saffold proposes the “Coastal Housing Act” to restrict corporate abuse of Airbnb. Rush focuses on enforcing Mount Laurel doctrine and rezoning reform.
47:00 – 57:00 Immigration Both support the Immigrant Trust Directive, legal protections for asylum seekers, and due process. Brandon shares Coast Guard experiences on migrant interdiction.
57:00 – 1:04:00 Tolls and Transit Saffold supports reducing or eliminating tolls; Rush supports tolls but demands better reinvestment in South Jersey. Both criticize misuse of funds.
1:04:00 – 1:07:30 Green Energy Pricing Saffold proposes legislation to prevent profiteering from state-funded green energy projects; Rush agrees pricing must be fair and regulated.
1:07:47 Fiscal Outlook Discuss NJ’s looming deficit, federal funding risks, and concerns with vague tax-cut promises.
1:13:33 Reproductive Rights Support abortion access with limits at viability and doctor involvement—oppose political interference.
1:23:04 Mental Health Push for guardianship reform, inspections of care facilities, and stronger rehab accountability (Save Nina Act).
1:35:02 Policing & Crime Crime seen as a social issue; advocate more training, support, and mental health integration into response units.
1:39:01 LGBTQ+ Rights Support live-and-let-live approach; Brandon proposes separate leagues for trans athletes in competition fairness.
1:46:31 Policy 5756 (Trans Student Rights) Support student privacy; oppose forced outing; argue that law protects vulnerable youth—not promotes secrecy.
1:57:03 SALT Deduction Want federal cap reversed to relieve NJ residents; view current setup as unfair targeting of blue states.
2:05:01 Legislative Integrity Carolyn vows to vote conscience over party coercion—even if it risks local funding; transparency is non-negotiable.
2:06:03 Civics Education Propose reintroducing state-level civics curriculum with local government education and a graduation requirement.
2:07:38 Candidate Transparency System Support centralized nonpartisan platform for questionnaires, interviews, and events hosted by the county.
2:08:48 Restoring Local Press Explore ways to address Cumberland’s information desert and reestablish consistent civic journalism.
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With just a few days left, watch our final impressions video to get a decent idea of what's happened.
KNOW WHO YOU ARE VOTING FOR

VIDEOS

An in depth interview with Democratic Primary candidates for General Assembly, Brandon Saffold and Carolyn Rush.
Click to view full interview summary (timestamps and topics)

Interview Summary – Brandon Saffold & Carolyn Rush

This table highlights the key topics covered in the 2.5-hour interview, summarizing major takeaways per section.

Timestamp Topic Key Takeaways
0:00 – 6:00 Intro / Voter Access Steven explains the origin of InformTheVoteNJ and the difficulty in accessing timely info on candidates; praises Saffold and Rush for showing up and being transparent.
6:00 – 13:00 Candidate Bios Saffold shares Coast Guard, veteran experience, and Princeton background. Rush shares engineering career, EZ-Pass project, and transition into politics after retiring.
14:00 – 20:00 Veterans / Safe Staffing Both support better VA staffing, access to mental healthcare, and similar efforts in civilian elder care. Mention of existing bills A3683/S2700.
20:00 – 36:00 County Line Reform Rush explains the system and lawsuit she joined with Andy Kim. Both oppose the "county line" ballot design and support statewide office-block format.
36:00 – 47:00 Affordable Housing Saffold proposes the “Coastal Housing Act” to restrict corporate abuse of Airbnb. Rush focuses on enforcing Mount Laurel doctrine and rezoning reform.
47:00 – 57:00 Immigration Both support the Immigrant Trust Directive, legal protections for asylum seekers, and due process. Brandon shares Coast Guard experiences on migrant interdiction.
57:00 – 1:04:00 Tolls and Transit Saffold supports reducing or eliminating tolls; Rush supports tolls but demands better reinvestment in South Jersey. Both criticize misuse of funds.
1:04:00 – 1:07:30 Green Energy Pricing Saffold proposes legislation to prevent profiteering from state-funded green energy projects; Rush agrees pricing must be fair and regulated.
1:07:47 Fiscal Outlook Discuss NJ’s looming deficit, federal funding risks, and concerns with vague tax-cut promises.
1:13:33 Reproductive Rights Support abortion access with limits at viability and doctor involvement—oppose political interference.
1:23:04 Mental Health Push for guardianship reform, inspections of care facilities, and stronger rehab accountability (Save Nina Act).
1:35:02 Policing & Crime Crime seen as a social issue; advocate more training, support, and mental health integration into response units.
1:39:01 LGBTQ+ Rights Support live-and-let-live approach; Brandon proposes separate leagues for trans athletes in competition fairness.
1:46:31 Policy 5756 (Trans Student Rights) Support student privacy; oppose forced outing; argue that law protects vulnerable youth—not promotes secrecy.
1:57:03 SALT Deduction Want federal cap reversed to relieve NJ residents; view current setup as unfair targeting of blue states.
2:05:01 Legislative Integrity Carolyn vows to vote conscience over party coercion—even if it risks local funding; transparency is non-negotiable.
2:06:03 Civics Education Propose reintroducing state-level civics curriculum with local government education and a graduation requirement.
2:07:38 Candidate Transparency System Support centralized nonpartisan platform for questionnaires, interviews, and events hosted by the county.
2:08:48 Restoring Local Press Explore ways to address Cumberland’s information desert and reestablish consistent civic journalism.
VOTE WITH CONFIDENCE

At Inform the Vote, our mission is to establish a new standard of civic engagement by equipping you—the citizen—with thoroughly researched, unbiased, and easily digestible information.

We believe an empowered citizenry is the cornerstone of a transparent and accountable local government. Yet, in an era where this should be the norm, both transparency and accountability often fall short. We're here to challenge this status quo.

Our platform is designed to streamline and consolidate the essential information you need to become an informed voter, breaking down the barriers that often deter civic participation in a process that can and should be more straightforward.