This bill mandates that all new voting machines purchased or leased for use in elections in New Jersey must produce a voter-verifiable paper record for each vote cast. The paper record must be available for inspection and verification by the voter at the time of voting and preserved for future manual audits. In the event of a recount, the voter-verified paper record will serve as the official tally. The bill also includes provisions that allow the Secretary of State to waive this requirement for voting machines that were in use prior to the bill's effective date, but explicitly prohibits waivers for any newly purchased or leased machines after that date.

The current law, which allowed for the suspension of the requirement to produce a paper record until funding was available, is amended to reflect these new requirements. The bill emphasizes the importance of ensuring transparency and accuracy in the voting process by mandating that all new voting machines have the capability to generate a permanent paper record, thereby enhancing voter confidence in election integrity.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 19:53A-3