A virtual meeting of the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission on Thursday was interrupted by a “Zoom bomb” of pornographic, racist and antisemitic images and audio.
The commission was holding the meeting to select its sponsors for two gubernatorial general election debates this fall between Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill, and one debate between the lieutenant governor candidates. Nine sponsors were set to give their presentations to the commission, which would then decide who was awarded a debate.
ELEC members went through the first part of the agenda about other business with no interruption for around 10 minutes. When the first debate presentation by NJ PBS/WNYC/WHYY presentation occurred, there was also nothing out of the norm.
During the second presentation, by WABC-TV New York/WPVI-TV Philadelphia/Rutgers Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, noises like alarms, ringtones and explosions began interrupting the presenters, prompting moderators to tell those who were not meant to be speaking to mute their line multiple times.
As Niki Hawkins, the vice president of community engagement and strategic partnerships with WPVI-TV in Philadelphia and Tamala Edwards, the moderator of the channel’s politics show, began to speak, pornographic images — one that included a Swastika — then popped up on users’ screens. Audio also played a song that repeated the N-word. That lasted about a minute, until the meeting ended.
ELEC Chair Thomas Prol wrote in a social media post that he has asked the offices of the governor and state attorney general to investigate what he called a “shocking breach of public trust.”
“They have put their top investigators on the hack that occurred,” Prol wrote. “On behalf of my fellow commissioners and myself, I say this to those responsible: You will not disrupt democracy in New Jersey. We will find you and prosecute you.”
The meeting will be rescheduled for next Tuesday “with safeguards in place,” he added. ELEC typically posts its meeting agenda ahead of time and requires the public to register via a Zoom for Government link if they wish to attend.
ELEC Deputy Director Joe Donohue said that there have been some minor interruptions at commission meetings in the past, but nothing to this extent.
Zoom bombing has become increasingly common as more meetings have been held online in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, a virtual event hosted by a progressive group for Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, one of two Black candidates who ran for governor in the Democratic primary, was also Zoom bombed.
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