STATE OF NEW JERSEY
220th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2022 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator SANDRA B. CUNNINGHAM
District 31 (Hudson)
Senator NELLIE POU
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senators Gopal, Turner, Diegnan, Stack, Codey, Zwicker, Singleton, Bramnick and Cruz-Perez
SYNOPSIS
Reduces standard voter registration deadline to eight days before election; allows voter registration at polling place on election day and at offices where mail-in ballots are issued within 45 days before election.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning voter registration and amending various parts of the statutory law and supplementing chapter 31 of Title 19 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. (New section) a. As used in this section:
Applicant means any person otherwise eligible to vote, but who is not registered to vote for an election and is applying for such registration pursuant to this section in person (1) at the persons assigned polling place on the day of an election, or (2) at an office where a mail-in ballot may be issued under The Vote By Mail Law, P.L.2009, c.79 (C.19:63-1 et seq.), for the period beginning 45 days before the election and ending at 3 P.M. the day before the election.
Identifying document means (1) a current and valid photo identification card that shows the applicants name and current address; (2) a current utility bill, bank statement, government check or pay check that shows the applicants name and current address; (3) any other government document that shows the applicants name and current address; or (4) any other identifying document that the Secretary of State has determined to be acceptable for this purpose.
b. Notwithstanding any other law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, an applicant may register to vote on the day of any election at the polling place to which the applicant is assigned, or at an office where a mail-in ballot may be issued under The Vote By Mail Law, P.L.2009, c.79 (C.19:63-1 et seq.), for the period beginning 45 days before the election and ending at 3 P.M. the day before the election, by:
(1) presenting or submitting a copy of an identifying document;
(2) completing an appropriate voter registration form; and
(3) submitting an affidavit in which the applicant declares that the applicant is not already properly registered to vote for the election in which the applicant is voting, will have lived in the county in which the applicant is voting for at least 30 days prior to that election, has not previously voted in that election, and upon voting will not thereafter vote in that election.
The commissioner of registration shall furnish to each polling place and office where a mail-in ballot may be issued voter registration forms and affidavit forms for the purposes of this section.
c. The commissioner of registration shall designate an individual at each office where a mail-in ballot may be issued to receive and review the forms and affidavits provided for under subsection b. of this section for an applicant registering to vote at that office during the period beginning 45 days before the election and ending at 3 P.M. the day before the election. The designee shall read to an applicant, prior to accepting the forms and affidavits, the penalty provision for voter fraud provided under subsection f. of this section. The designee shall issue a temporary registration certificate to a qualified applicant. The certificate shall be in triplicate, with one copy to be retained by the designee, one copy to be retained by the office, and one copy to be retained by the applicant. The applicant shall be then permitted to vote either immediately at the office or on election day at the applicants assigned polling place in a manner promulgated by the Secretary of the State to allow verification of the applicants identity and ensure the security of the ballot.
d. The commissioner of registration shall designate an individual in each polling place to receive and review the forms and affidavits provided for under subsection b. of this section. The designee shall read to an applicant, prior to accepting the forms and affidavits, the penalty provision for voter fraud provided under subsection f. of this section. The designee shall issue a temporary registration certificate to a qualified applicant. The certificate shall be in triplicate, with one copy to be retained by the designee, one copy to be retained by the district board, and one copy to be retained by the applicant. The applicant shall be permitted to vote at the polling place in a manner promulgated by the Secretary of the State to allow verification of the applicants identity and ensure the security of the ballot.
e. All forms and affidavits received by the commissioners designee pursuant to subsections c. and d. of this section shall be delivered to the commissioner of registration as soon as possible, and no later than within two days of completion. Upon receipt of the voter registration forms completed pursuant to this section, the commissioner shall:
(1) send to the registrant written notification that such registrant is duly registered to vote. On the face of such notification in the upper left-hand corner shall be printed the words: Do Not Forward. Return Postage Guaranteed. If not delivered in two days, return to the Commissioner of Registration;
(2) as soon as possible, enter the information provided for the registrant on the completed registration form into the Statewide voter registration system established pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2005, c.145 (C.19:31-31);
(3) paste, tape, or photocopy the completed registration form onto an original registration form, and paste or tape a copy of such completed registration form onto a duplicate registration form, both of which shall be filed as provided in R.S.19:31-10. Nothing in this paragraph shall preclude any commissioner of registration from keeping the original registration form on file; and
(4) in the case of a registrant currently registered in another county of this State, notify the commissioner of registration of such other county to delete such registrants name from the list of persons registered in such other county.
The commissioner shall notify a registrant of the reasons for any refusal to approve that persons registration within two business days of such determination.
f. An applicant who willfully or fraudulently registers more than once, or who registers under any but the applicants true name, or attempts to vote more than once, or who willfully registers in any election district where the applicant is not a resident at the time of registering, is guilty of a crime of the fourth degree. Any person who aids and abets an applicant in violating the provisions of this section is guilty of a crime of the fourth degree.
2. R.S.19:31-6 is amended to read as follows:
19:31-6. Any person qualified to vote in an election shall be entitled to vote in the election if the person shall have registered to vote on or before the [21st] eighth day preceding the election by:
a. registering in person at any offices designated