ASSEMBLY EDUCATION COMMITTEE

 

STATEMENT TO

 

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR

ASSEMBLY, No.180

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

DATED: February 15, 1996

 

         The Assembly Education Committee favorably reports an Assembly Committee Substitute for Assembly, No. 180.

         This committee substitute 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 and voting equipment of one election district to serve as the polling place and voting equipment for the voters of one or more other election districts for school elections. Such a designation shall be based on the casting of no more than 500 ballots during each of the two preceding annual school elections by the voters of the election districts for which that polling place is designated. If, at two consecutive annual school elections thereafter, the number of ballots cast by the voters in those election districts is more than 500, the county board shall effect an appropriate revision of the election districts using that polling place. If a request is from a municipal clerk, the request shall apply only to the election districts in that municipality.

         If one polling place is designated for two or more election districts, the county board shall designate at least two members from among the 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.

         The substitute also provides that any expenditures by county officials and municipal clerks in connection with school elections for which the board of education is responsible for payment shall be exempt from the local government cap law, and any costs to the boards of education which exceed the amount of the costs for the last annual school election under Title 18A shall be exempt from the school cap law.

         The substitute amends existing law to require only one board member to be present at all times if only two board members are serving at a school election.

         The substitute further provides that after the first annual school election conducted pursuant to P.L.1995, c.278 (C.19:60-1 et seq.), the Secretary of State shall conduct a survey of each school district to compare the costs of conducting the school election pursuant to that law with the costs of conducting school elections previously under Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes. The survey shall be based on an examination of the same items with respect to each such election. The secretary shall report the findings of the survey to the Governor and the Legislature no later than October 1, 1996.

         Finally, a technical correction is made in existing law to reflect the fact that polling records are no longer delivered to the secretary of the board of education.