New Jersey A 471: Extends early voting period for primary elections and May municipal elections.

Bill Text

A471 

ASSEMBLY, No. 471 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman GABRIEL RODRIGUEZ

District 33 (Hudson)

SYNOPSIS

���� Extends early voting period for primary elections and 
May municipal elections.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative 
Counsel.

�� 

An Act extending the early voting period for certain elections 
and amending P.L.2021, c.40.

���� Be It 
Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of 
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� Section 1 of P.L.2021, 
c.40 (C.19:15A-1) is amended to read as follows:

���� 1.� a.� In addition to all 
other forms of voting provided for by this Title, a registered voter shall be 
permitted to vote at a specially designated polling place before the day of 
certain primary and general elections in this State. This procedure shall be 
known as early voting. The early voting period shall:

���� (1)�� start on the [4th] 11th 
calendar day before a non-presidential primary election for a non-presidential 
general election and end on the second calendar day before that 
non-presidential primary election;

���� (2)�� start on the [6th] 11th 
calendar day before a presidential primary election for a presidential general 
election and end on the second calendar day before that presidential primary 
election; or

���� (3)�� start on the [10th] 11th 
calendar day before a general election and end on the second calendar day 
before that general election.

���� The voting process during the 
early voting period shall be conducted using electronic poll books and 
optical-scan voting machines that read hand-marked paper ballots or other 
voting machines that produce a voter-verifiable paper ballot. Any municipality conducting 
regular municipal elections in May pursuant to the provisions of the 
"Uniform Nonpartisan Elections Law," P.L.1981, c.379 (C.40:45-5 et 
seq.), may, by an ordinance adopted by its governing body, also conduct early 
voting for the regular municipal election, in accordance with the provisions of 
this act, P.L.2021, c.40 (C.19:15A-1 et al.). If adopted by a municipal 
governing body, the early voting period for a regular municipal election in May 
shall start on the 4th calendar day before the regular municipal election and 
end on the second calendar day before that regular municipal election, 
except that the municipal governing body may adopt an ordinance to allow the 
early voting period to start on the 11th calendar day before the regular 
municipal election and end on the second calendar day before that regular 
municipal election.� An early voting period shall only be permitted for a 
non-presidential or presidential primary election and a general election in 
this State and, if adopted by a municipal governing body, a regular municipal 
election conducted in May. Pursuant to the provisions of this act and Title 19 
of the Revised Statutes and in accordance with procedures that may be 
established by the Secretary of State for verifying eligible voters, each county 
board of elections shall verify that a registered voter is qualified to vote in 
the election and shall prescribe the manner by which a registered voter may 
vote during such period.

���� b.� (1)� For the primary and 
the general election, each county board of elections shall designate at least 
three, but not more than five, public locations within each county as the sites 
for early voting to occur, except that the county board shall designate at 
least five, but not more than seven, public locations for early voting if the 
number of registered voters in the county is at least 150,000 but less than 
300,000, and shall designate at least seven, but not more than 10, public 
locations for early voting if the number of registered voters in the county is 
300,000 or more. This provision shall not be interpreted to prevent county 
boards of elections, at their discretion, from establishing additional 
locations in excess of the five, seven, or 10 location limits respectively set 
forth herein; provided, however, that the State shall be required to provide 
reimbursement for the costs of locations up to and including the five, seven, 
or 10 respective limits established herein, and shall not be required to provide 
reimbursement for additional locations beyond those limits under section 6 of 
this act, P.L.2021, c.40 (C.19:15A-6).� The number of registered voters in each 
county shall be determined ahead of the selection of early voting sites 
pursuant to a uniform standard which shall be developed by the Secretary of 
State through the rulemaking process pursuant to the "Administrative 
Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.).� Whenever possible, 
early voting locations shall be geographically located so as to ensure both 
access in the part of the county that features the greatest concentration of 
population, according to the most recent federal decen