New Jersey S 3709: "Used Motor Vehicle Dealer Licensing Act."

Bill Text

S3709 

SENATE, No. 3709 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

INTRODUCED MARCH 2, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� JOSEPH PENNACCHIO

District 26 (Morris and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

���� Revises processing of valid mail-in ballots received 
after closure of polls. 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

���� As introduced.

�� 

An Act revising the processing of valid mail-in ballots 
received after the polls close and amending P.L.2009, c.79.

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

���� 1.��� Section 22 of P.L.2009, 
c.79 (C.19:63-22) is amended to read as follows:

���� 22. a. On the day of each 
election, or as provided under subsection b. of this section, each county board 
of elections shall open in the presence of the commissioner of registration, or 
the designee thereof, the inner envelopes that contain the mail-in ballots with 
the votes cast for the election.� The inner envelopes containing the ballots 
that the board or the Superior Court has rejected shall not be so opened, but 
shall be retained as provided for by this act.� The board shall then proceed to 
canvass the votes cast on the mail-in ballots, but no such ballot shall be 
counted in any primary election for the general election if the ballot of the 
political party marked for voting thereon differs from the designation of the 
political party in the primary election of which such ballot is intended to be 
voted as marked on the envelope by the county board of elections.

���� Every mail-in ballot that 
bears a postmark date before or of the day of the election and that is received 
by the county board within 144 hours after the time of the closing of the polls 
for the election that the ballot was prepared shall be considered valid and 
shall be canvassed.� Every mail-in ballot that does not bear a postmark date 
but that is received by the county board by delivery of the United States 
Postal Service before, or within 48 hours after, the time of the closing of the 
polls for the election for which the ballot was prepared shall be considered 
valid and shall be canvassed.

���� A mail-in ballot received 
after the closing of the polls, which is to be considered valid pursuant to 
this subsection, shall be numbered and initialed by both a Republican and 
Democrat on the county board of elections on the date of receipt and before it 
is canvassed.� Notwithstanding any other provisions of P.L.2009, c.79 to the 
contrary, the mail-in ballot so received shall not be separated from the inner 
envelope, except to canvass the mail-in ballot, until the 61st day after the 
mail-in ballot is received, numbered, and initialed.� Only a judge of the 
Superior Court, acting in furtherance of a case rightfully before the court, shall 
be permitted to access the mail-in ballot and inner envelope during the 60-day 
period following the date the mail-in ballot is received, numbered, and 
initialed.

���� b.��� A county board of 
elections may begin opening the inner envelopes for each mail-in ballot and 
canvassing each mail-in ballot from the inner envelope no earlier than five 
days prior to the day of the election.� The Secretary of State shall establish 
guidelines concerning the early canvassing process.� If a county board of 
elections begins opening the inner envelopes and canvassing the mail-in ballots 
from the inner envelopes prior to the day of the election, the county board 
shall implement the measures necessary to ensure the security and secrecy of 
the mail-in ballots.� The contents of the mail-in ballots and the results of 
the ballot canvassing shall remain confidential and shall be disclosed only in 
accordance with the provisions of Title 19 of the Revised Statutes, regulations 
and guidelines concerning the disclosure of election results, and in no 
circumstances disclosed prior to the close of polls on the day of the 
election.� In addition to the guidelines concerning the early canvassing 
process, the Secretary of State shall promulgate regulations to ensure that any 
county board of elections that begins opening the inner envelopes and 
canvassing the mail-in ballots from the inner envelopes prior to the closing of 
the polls on election day shall do so in a manner that prevents any person, 
including any person who is authorized to receive and canvass completed mail-in 
ballots, from obtaining knowledge of the unofficial results of ballots cast for 
any candidate for public office or any public question submitted to the voters 
until after the closing of the polls on election day.� No tally or tabulation 
of results shall occur prior to the opening of polls on election day.� As 
provided under R.S.19:34-13, any person who is authorized to receive and 
canvass completed mail-in-ballots who knowingly discloses to the public the 
contents of a mail-in ballot prior to the time designated by law for the 
closing of the polls for each election shall be guilty of a crime of the third 
degree.

���� c