SENATE STATE GOVERNMENT, WAGERING, TOURISM & HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 3039

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  NOVEMBER 15, 2021

      The Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism, and Historic Preservation Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 3039.

     This bill allows a mail-in voter to cure their mail-in ballot due to a missing mail-in voter certificate.

     Under current law, each mail-in voter is required to complete the Certificate of Mail-in Voter that is attached to the flap of the mail-in ballot inner envelope. By completing the certificate, the mail-in voter certifies, subject to the penalties for fraudulent voting: the voter’s address, that the voter is the person who applied for the enclosed ballot, that the voter marked the ballot in secret, and that a family member may provide assistance to the voter. The mail-in voter is required to sign the certificate. Furthermore, the certificate requires any person who provided assistance to the voter in marking the ballot to complete a portion of the certificate on which that person certifies that the person assisted the voter, and declares that the person will maintain the secrecy of the voter’s ballot. The person who provided assistance is also required to provide the person’s signature, printed name, and address on the certificate.

     Under this bill, when the voter failed to include the Certificate of Mail-in Voter, the county board of elections would be required to provide the voter, along with the Cure Letter and Cure Form, with a substantially similar certificate for the voter to complete in order to cure the voter’s mail-in ballot in accordance with the same requirements, procedures, and timeframes specified for ballot curing due to a missing or discrepant signature.

      Senate Bill No. 3039 is identical to Assembly Bill No. 4814 of the 2020-2021 session.