LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE

[Second Reprint]

SENATE, No. 598

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

219th LEGISLATURE

 

DATED: JUNE 29, 2021

 

 

SUMMARY

 

Synopsis:

Raises pay for election workers to $400 per day or State minimum wage, whichever is greater; appropriates $5,000,000 to Department of State.

Type of Impact:

Expenditure increase to the State General Fund.

Agencies Affected:

Division of Elections, Department of State.

 

 

Office of Legislative Services Estimate

Fiscal Impact

Year 1 

Year 2 

Year 3 

 

State Cost Increase

Approximately $13.6 million

 

 

 

 

·         The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) estimates that increasing the State’s reimbursement of the payment to election workers by $200 per day will increase costs to the Division of Elections in the Department of State by approximately $13.6 million per election depending on the number of hours the poll workers actually work on Election Day and the type of election (i.e. primary, general, or special election). 

 

 

BILL DESCRIPTION

 

      This bill increases the compensation of election workers from $200 per day to $400 per day. Under current law, election workers are paid $200 per day each time the primary election, the general election, or any special election is held. The State reimburses $125 of the payment to election workers while the counties account for the rest. This bill increases the State’s reimbursement from $125 per day to $325 per day while keeping the counties sum at $75.  The bill also increases from $14.29 to $19.64 the maximum hourly rate that district board members may receive for serving at a school election.

FISCAL ANALYSIS

 

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

 

      None received.

 

 

OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES

 

      The OLS estimates that increasing the State’s reimbursement of the payment to election workers by $200 per day will increase costs to the Division of Elections in the Department of State by approximately $13.6 million per election depending on the number of hours the poll workers actually work on Election Day and the type of election (i.e. primary, general, or special election).  This increase will bring the costs for early voting and election day poll workers from approximately $16.1 million to $29.7 million per election.

 

 

Section:

State Government

Analyst:

Kimberly M. Clemmensen

Lead Fiscal Analyst

Approved:

Thomas Koenig

Legislative Budget and Finance Officer

 

 

This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.

 

This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).