SENATE, No. 1256

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

INTRODUCED JUNE 3, 1996

 

 

By Senators SINGER and KYRILLOS

 

 

An Act concerning voter registration, amending R.S.19:31-6 and supplementing chapter 31 of Title 19 of the Revised Statutes.

 

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

 

    1. (New section) a. The Secretary of State shall make available, as part of any structured display of information provided by the Office of the Secretary of State or the Governor or a State agency or entity so designated by the Governor and appearing on a site on the largest nonproprietary cooperative public computer network, the following:

    (1) information on registering to vote and voting in New Jersey, including but not limited to:

    (a) the qualifications for registering to vote;

    (b) the different methods provided by law for registering to vote;

    (c) the procedure for updating voter registration information;

    (d) the procedure for declaring or changing political party affiliation;

    (e) the requirements and procedures for military and civilian absentee voting;

    (f) the requirements and procedures for federal election absentee voting and Presidential election balloting;

    (g) the mailing address of the Secretary of State and the commissioner of registration in each county;

    (h) the types of elections held in the State and the dates on which those elections occur, if occurring on a regular basis;

    (2) (a) an electronic copy of a voter registration application form substantially similar to that provided by section 16 of P.L.1974, c.30 (C.19:31-6.4), as amended and supplemented, which is capable of being copied onto paper, completed and mailed;

    (b) instruction for the completion of the application and the address of the Secretary of State and the commissioner of registration in each county for transmission of the completed form to either by U.S. mail; and

    (3) such additional information relative to registering to vote and voting in New Jersey as shall be determined by the Secretary of State.

    b. All copies of voter registration application forms that have been copied onto paper from the electronic registration form provided for by paragraph (1) of subsection a. of this section and that are completed by a registrant and received by the Secretary of State in the mail shall be forwarded to the commissioner of registration of the registrant.

 

    2. R.S.19:31-6 is amended to read as follows:

    19:31-6. Any person qualified to vote in an election shall be entitled to vote in the election if the person shall have registered to vote on or before the 29th day preceding the election by:

    a. registering in person at any offices designated by the commissioner of registration for providing and receiving registration forms;

    b. completing a voter registration form while applying for a motor vehicle driver's license from an agent of the Division of Motor Vehicles, as provided for in section 24 of P.L.1994, c.182 (C.39:2-3.2);

    c. completing and returning to the Secretary of State or having returned thereto a voter registration form received from a voter registration agency, as defined in subsection a. of section 26 of P.L.1994, c.182 (C.19:31-6.11), while applying for services or assistance or seeking a recertification, renewal or change of address at an office of that agency;

    d. completing and returning to the Secretary of State a voter registration form obtained from a public agency, as defined in subsection a. of section 15 of P.L.1974, c.30 (C.19:31-6.3);

    e. completing and returning to the Secretary of State or having returned thereto a voter registration form received from a door-to-door canvass or mobile registration drive, as provided for in section 19 of P.L.1974, c.30 (C.19:31-6.7);

    f. completing and returning to the Secretary of State a federal mail voter registration form, as prescribed in subsection (b) of section 9 of the "National Voter Registration Act of 1993," (42 U.S.C.{1973gg et seq.); [or]

    g. completing and returning to the Secretary of State or the appropriate county clerk an application for a federal postcard application form to register to vote, as provided for in the "Overseas Absentee Voting Act" (42 U.S.C.{1973ff-1 et seq.) and section 4 of P.L.1976, c.23 (C.19:59-4); or

    h. completing and returning to the Secretary of State or the appropriate county commissioner of registration a copy of a voter registration application form obtained from the largest nonproprietary cooperative public computer network, as provided for in section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. )(now pending before the Legislature as this bill).

    When the commissioner has designated a place or places other than his office for receiving registrations, the commissioner shall cause to be published a notice in a newspaper circulated in the municipality wherein such place or places of registration shall be located. Such notice shall be published pursuant to R.S.19:12-7.

    Any office designated by the commissioner of registration for receiving registration forms shall have displayed, in a conspicuous location, registration and voting instructions. These instructions shall be the same as those provided for polling places under R.S.19:9-2 and shall be provided by the commissioner.

(cf: P.L.1994, c.182, s.5)

 

    3. This act shall take effect on the 90th day following enactment, except that the Secretary of State shall undertake immediately such actions as may be necessary to enable the bill to be effectuated on that 90th day.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    The purpose of this bill is to require the Secretary of State to make available at an official State site on the largest nonproprietary cooperative public computer network (a.k.a. the Internet) information on registering to vote and voting in New Jersey.

    The bill requires that the information provided by the Secretary of State would include but not be limited to:

    1) the qualifications for registering to vote;

    2) the different methods provided by law for registering to vote;

    3) the procedure for updating voter registration information;

    4) the procedure for declaring or changing political party affiliation;

    5) the requirements and procedures for military and civilian absentee voting;

    6) the requirements and procedures for federal election absentee voting and Presidential election balloting;

    7) the mailing address of the Secretary of State and the commissioner of registration in each county; and

    8) the types of elections held in the State and the dates on which those elections occur, if occurring on a regular basis.

    The bill also requires that the site include an electronic copy of a voter registration application substantially similar to that provided by section 16 of P.L.1974, c.30 (C.19:31-6.4) which is capable of being copied onto paper, completed and mailed to the Secretary of State or to the commissioner of registration in the county of the registrant. Such a form would serve as the voter registration vehicle for that person.

    The provisions of this bill are similar to those used by the states of South Carolina and Oregon.

 

 

                             

Requires Secretary of State to make available at an official State Internet site information on registering to vote and voting and an electronic voter registration form for copying and mailing.