Summary#
A-5651, titled “Requires certain municipalities to offer early voting,” would amend New Jersey’s early-voting law, P.L.2021, c.40, and the Uniform Nonpartisan Elections Law, P.L.1981, c.379. It would make early voting mandatory for municipalities that hold regular elections in May; the bill’s stated goal is to require those municipalities to offer it. The bill is introduced and is not law; if enacted, it would take effect January 1 after enactment.
- A municipality holding its regular election in May must conduct early voting. Under current law, it may choose to offer it.
- Early voting would run from the fourth calendar day before the election through the second calendar day before it. A municipality may pass an ordinance to start earlier, on the eighth day before the election.
- The county board of elections must designate one to three public voting locations in the municipality. The State must reimburse location costs up to the three-location limit, under the existing early-voting law.
- Voters may use any early-voting site in their municipality. Sites must meet accessibility requirements and cannot be public school buildings.
- Sites must be open at least 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday during the early-voting period.
What it means for you#
- Voters in municipalities with May elections: You would have an early-voting option for those elections, in addition to other voting methods. You could vote at any early-voting site in your municipality.
- Municipal governments: They would have to conduct early voting. They could choose, by ordinance, to begin the period four days earlier than the required start.
- County election boards: They would have to designate the sites and arrange election staffing and operations. The bill does not make the municipality responsible for choosing the sites.
- Voters in municipalities with November elections: The bill does not newly require early voting for those elections; the supplied materials say it is already required under current law.
Money#
No cost estimate is provided; No publicly available information.
- The State must reimburse costs for up to three early-voting locations in a municipality. The bill does not give a dollar amount or say this reimbursement covers every operating cost.
- County boards must arrange sites, election officers, equipment, and supplies. The bill does not estimate staffing or other costs.
What is unclear#
- The bill does not set out how municipalities or county boards should handle any disputes or delays in setting up early voting.
- It does not estimate how many May-election municipalities would be affected or the total cost of the required voting.
- The bill does not state whether existing staff, equipment, and locations can meet the new requirement or what extra resources may be needed.
- The bill does not explain how costs beyond the State’s reimbursement for up to three locations would be paid.
Case for#
- The bill would make early voting available in May-election municipalities that currently may choose not to offer it.
- A required minimum period and one or more local sites could give voters another way to cast a ballot before election day.
- Letting municipalities extend the period to eight days before the election allows local governments to offer more time if they choose.
Case against#
- Requiring early voting creates work for county election boards, including site selection, staffing, equipment, and accessibility arrangements; the bill provides no cost estimate.
- State reimbursement for location costs is capped at three sites, while a county board may choose to establish more. The bill does not explain who would pay for additional sites or other costs not covered by reimbursement.
- The default early-voting period is short, and extending it is optional. The bill does not require every municipality to offer the longer period.