ASSEMBLY, No. 180

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 8, 1996

 

 

By Assemblyman WOLFE

 

 

An Act concerning school elections and amending P.L.1995, c.278.

 

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

 

    1. Section 3 of P.L.1995, c.278 (C.19:60-3) is amended to read as follows:

    3. a. Notwithstanding the provisions of R.S.19:6-1, for school elections the county board of the county in which the election district is located shall designate two members of the district board of election to perform all the duties of the district board for that election, except that where electronic voting systems are in use in any election district in which there are more than 900 registered voters, the county board shall designate four members of the district board to perform all the duties of the district board for that election. Notwithstanding the provisions of R.S.19:6-10, the county board shall appoint one of the persons so designated to serve as judge and the other or another, as the case may be, of those persons so designated to serve as inspector for school elections.

    b. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection a. to the contrary:

    (1) Upon the request of a board of education or the clerk of a municipality in the county or upon its own initiative, the county board may designate the polling place of one election district to serve as the polling place for the voters of one or more other election districts for school elections. Such consolidation of election districts shall be based on the casting of no more than 500 ballots by the voters of those election districts during each of the two preceding annual school elections. If, at two subsequent annual school elections, the number of votes cast in such consolidated districts is more than 500, the county board shall effect an appropriate revision of the election districts. If a request is from a municipal clerk, the county board shall consolidate the election districts only in that municipality.

    (2) If election districts are consolidated, the county board shall designate at least two members of the district boards of election of those election districts to perform all the duties of the district board for the school election. The county board shall also appoint one of the persons so designated to serve as judge and another of those persons to serve as inspector for school elections.

(cf: P.L.1995, c.278, s.3)

 

    2. Section 11 of P.L.1995, c.278 (C.19:60-11) is amended to read as follows:

    11. The district board of election shall, for any school election, utilize a poll list instead of the signature copy register. The poll list shall be arranged in a column or columns appropriately headed so as to indicate the election, the date thereof, and the school district and election district in which the same is used, in such a manner that each voter voting in the polling place at the election may sign the voter's name and state the voter's address therein and the number of the voter's official ballot may be indicated opposite the signature. The district board shall compare the signature in the poll lists with that in the signature copy registers before accepting the ballot.

    If election districts are consolidated pursuant to subsection b. of section 3 of P.L.1995, c.278 (C.19:60-3), the provisions of this section shall apply to the members of the district boards of election designated to serve as the election officers at the polling place for those election districts. The signature copy registers for those election districts shall be provided to those election officers.

(cf: P.L.1995, c.278, s.11)

 

    3. This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    This bill provides that upon the request of a board of education or the clerk of a municipality in a county or upon its own initiative, the county board of elections may designate the polling place of one election district to serve as the polling place for the voters of one or more other election districts for school elections. Such consolidation of election districts shall be based on the casting of no more than 500 ballots by the voters of those election districts at each of the two preceding annual school elections. If, at any two subsequent annual school elections, the number of votes cast in such consolidated districts is more than 500, the county board shall effect an appropriate revision of the election districts. If a request is from a municipal clerk, the county board shall consolidate the election districts only in that municipality.

    If election districts are consolidated, the county board shall designate at least two members of the district boards of election of those election districts to perform all the duties of the district board for the school election. The county board shall also appoint one of the persons so designated to serve as judge and another of those persons to serve as inspector for school elections.

 

 

                             

 

Provides for consolidation of election districts in conduct of school elections.