SENATE, No. 760

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 15, 1996

 

 

By Senator BUBBA

 

 

An Act creating an Election Law Computerization Study Commission and making an appropriation.

 

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

 

    1. There is created a commission to be known as the "Election Law Computerization Study Commission," which shall consist of 12 members to be appointed by the Governor as follows:

    a. one representative of the Office of the Secretary of State and one person who shall have professional expertise in modern computerized elections administration technology, no more than one of whom shall be from the same political party;

    b. four Superintendents or Deputy Superintendents of Elections, no more than two of whom shall be from the same political party and no more than one of whom shall reside in the same county;

    c. four members of county Boards of Elections, no more than two of whom shall be from the same political party and no more than one of whom shall reside in the same county;

    d. two public members who are registered voters, one of whom shall be selected from a list of three names submitted by the State chairman of the political party whose candidate for Governor received the largest number of votes in the previous gubernatorial election and one of whom shall be selected from a list of three names submitted by the State chairman of the political party whose candidate received the second largest number of votes in the previous gubernatorial election.

 

    2. Members of the commission shall serve for the duration of the commission and even if the member no longer continues to hold the office held at the time of initial appointment to the commission. Vacancies in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments were made; a replacement shall be from the same political party but need not reside in the same county as the member whose vacancy is being filled.

 

    3. The commission shall organize as soon as may be practicable after the appointment of its members and shall elect a chairman from among its members and a secretary who need not be a member of the commission.

 

    4. Members of the commission shall serve without compensation but, within the limit of available funds, shall be entitled to reimbursement for expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as members of the commission.

 

    5. It shall be the duty of the commission to:

    a. study the applicability of modern computerized elections administration technology, including, but not limited to, centralized record retention and retrieval equipment and software, optical scanners, modems, bar coding, and the digitalization of a voter's signature, to the duties of the Superintendents of Elections, Commissioners of Registration and the county Boards of Elections as provided for in current law; and

    b. recommend, if deemed desirable, the changes in current election law and procedure which would be necessary to facilitate the Statewide use of such computerized elections administration technology.

 

    6. The commission shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of such employees of any State, county or municipal department, board, bureau, commission or agency as it may require and as may be available to it for its purposes, and to employ such stenographic and clerical assistants and incur such traveling and other miscellaneous expenses as it may deem necessary, in order to perform its duties, and as may be within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to it for its purposes.

 

    7. For the purposes of its study the commission shall have all the powers provided pursuant to chapter 13 of Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.

 

    8. The commission may meet and hold hearings at such places as it shall designate during the sessions or recesses of the Legislature and shall report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature no later than the last day of the 12th calendar month after the initial organization meeting of the commission and may accompany the report with any legislative bills that it may desire to recommend for adoption by the Legislature.

 

    9. There is appropriated $60,000 from the General Fund to the commission to effectuate the purposes of this act.


    10. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire upon the submission by the commission of its report and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    This bill creates a 12-member commission which shall be known as the "Election Law Computerization Study Commission."

    The bill provides that it shall be the duty of the commission to:

     a. study the applicability of modern computerized elections administration technology including, but not limited to, centralized record retention and retrieval equipment and software, optical scanners, modems, bar coding, and the digitalization of a voter's signature, to the duties of the Superintendents of Elections, Commissioners of Registration and the county Boards of Elections, as provided for in current law; and

     b. recommend, if deemed desirable, the changes in current elections law and procedure which would be necessary to facilitate the Statewide use of such computerized elections administration technology.

    The membership of the commission shall be selected by the Governor on a bipartisan basis and shall include Superintendents of Elections and members of county Boards of Elections, public members who are registered voters, a representative of the Office of the Secretary of State and at least one person who shall have professional expertise in modern computerized elections administration technology.

    The commission has until the last day of the 12th calendar month after its initial organizational meeting to issue a report of its findings to the Governor and the Legislature, together with any legislative bills that it may desire to recommend for adoption.

 

 

                             

 

Creates 12-member bipartisan Election Law Computerization Study Commission; appropriates $60,000.