This bill amends the procedures for conducting audits of election results in New Jersey. It mandates that the Secretary of State appoint an independent audit team each year to oversee post-election audits of voter-verifiable paper records in each county. The bill allows for audits to be conducted using independent third-party electronic machines, in addition to traditional hand-to-eye counts. It specifies that audits must occur for federal and state elections, as well as selected county and municipal elections, with a minimum of two percent of election districts being audited. The audits are to begin 13 days after a general election and must be completed before the results are certified.

Additionally, the bill removes previous requirements that audit procedures ensure a certain statistical power to confirm that a manual recount would not change the reported electoral outcome. Instead, it requires that post-election audit procedures be published before elections, allowing for public comment. The bill also outlines the process for selecting election districts for audits, the handling of discrepancies, and the conditions under which further audits may be triggered. Overall, these changes aim to enhance the transparency and reliability of election audits in New Jersey.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 19:61-9