In NJ 11, Webber Blocks Voters on Twitter and Facebook

Voters in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District have signed a letter complaining about the way they’ve been treated on state Assemblyman Jay Webber’s Twitter and Facebook accounts.  

Sixty-two people signed the letter, and 141 have joined a Facebook group called “People Blocked by Jay Webber.”

Some of those who say they’ve been blocked are members of NJ11TH for Change, a group that began calling on Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen to hold a town hall after the 2016 election. Frelinghuysen refused, the group grew, and ultimately the 23-year Republican incumbent decided to retire. Now the activists have their sights set on Webber, the Republican who hopes to replace Frelinghuysen and is running against Democrat Mikie Sherrill.  

The Webber campaign says it blocks people who make inappropriate comments, but the letter's signatories argue the campaign has gone far beyond that.

"What kind of comments earned us this treatment?" the letter asks. "One of us was blocked for posting a screenshot of Webber's own voting record from Vote Smart." Another person tweeted an article to Webber that said it’s illegal for elected officials to block constituents.

Saily Avelenda, who lost her job after Frelinghuysen wrote a letter to the bank chairman where she worked about her activism, has also been blocked and signed the letter.  Now she's the director of NJ 11th for Change, which has built much of its success on activism that is theatrical or funny.

"If we've learned nothing over the last year and a half,  you should just learn that being that inaccessible and actually blocking your constituents it's not a good tactic," Avelenda said.

She said the Webber campaign also hides comments on its Facebook page, which means that only a commenter's friends can see the post.

This story was updated to add a fuller explanation of NJ 11th for Change.