ASSEMBLY, No. 759

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

By Assemblywomen BUONO and TURNER

An Act establishing a public education program which explains the procedure for requesting and receiving an absentee ballot and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.

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

    1. a. Within one year of the effective date of this act, the Secretary of State shall establish a permanent public education program which explains the procedure for requesting and receiving an absentee ballot, as provided for in P.L.1953, c.211 (C.19:57-1 et seq.), P.L.1964, c.134 (C.19:58-1 et seq.), and P.L.1976, c.23 (C.19:59-1 et seq.).

    b. The materials produced by the program shall make clear:

    (1) the qualifications necessary to be eligible to receive a civilian or military absentee ballot, a Presidential ballot or an overseas Federal election voter ballot;

    (2) the procedure for requesting any such absentee ballot; and

    (3) the advantages of voting by any such absentee ballot.

    c. The program shall take the form of public service announcements suitable for radio or television broadcasting and instructional video tapes of no longer than 30 minutes. The materials produced by the program shall be revised and updated as deemed necessary.

    d. The Secretary of State shall make certain:

    (1) that the public service announcements and instructional video tapes are distributed free to every commercial and public radio station and to every commercial, public and cable television broadcasting station located in this State at least two months prior to the date of the primary election and the date of the general election; and

    (2) that any materials produced by the program are available free to any individual, group, organization or association interested in viewing, borrowing or exhibiting those materials.

    2. The Secretary of State may adopt such rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) as may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.

    3. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    The purpose of this bill is to require the Secretary of State to establish a permanent public education program which explains the procedure for requesting and receiving an absentee ballot.

    The program shall take the form of public service announcements suitable for radio or television broadcasting and instructional video tapes of no longer than 30 minutes. Under the bill, the Secretary of State would make certain that these materials are distributed free to every commercial and public radio station and to every commercial, public and cable television broadcasting station located in this State at least two months prior to the date of the primary election and the date of the general election. Any materials produced by the program would also be available free to any individual, group, organization or association interested in viewing, borrowing or exhibiting those materials.

    This bill is necessary because there is widespread public ignorance about the availability of such ballots and different types which may be used by a registered voter. Such ignorance stands in the way of enabling a person who is not able to vote at his or her assigned polling place on the day of an election to request and receive the type of absentee ballot most suited to that voter's particular needs and circumstance. The wider dissemination of information about such ballots which would be provided by the program established by this bill would help to make voting more convenient for many people and may help to increase the number of people voting in an election.

Establishes public education program which explains procedure for requesting and receiving an absentee ballot.