• Home
  • Independent Voter News
  • Quizzes
  • Election Dissection
  • Sections
  • Events
  • Directory
  • About Us
  • Glossary
  • Opinion
  • Campaign Finance
  • Redistricting
  • Civic Ed
  • Voting
  • Fact Check
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Subscriptions
  • Log in
Leveraging Our Differences
  • news & opinion
    • Big Picture
      • Civic Ed
      • Ethics
      • Leadership
      • Leveraging big ideas
      • Media
    • Business & Democracy
      • Corporate Responsibility
      • Impact Investment
      • Innovation & Incubation
      • Small Businesses
      • Stakeholder Capitalism
    • Elections
      • Campaign Finance
      • Independent Voter News
      • Redistricting
      • Voting
    • Government
      • Balance of Power
      • Budgeting
      • Congress
      • Judicial
      • Local
      • State
      • White House
    • Justice
      • Accountability
      • Anti-corruption
      • Budget equity
    • Columns
      • Beyond Right and Left
      • Civic Soul
      • Congress at a Crossroads
      • Cross-Partisan Visions
      • Democracy Pie
      • Our Freedom
  • Pop Culture
      • American Heroes
      • Ask Joe
      • Celebrity News
      • Comedy
      • Dance, Theatre & Film
      • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
      • Faithful & Mindful Living
      • Music, Poetry & Arts
      • Sports
      • Technology
      • Your Take
      • American Heroes
      • Ask Joe
      • Celebrity News
      • Comedy
      • Dance, Theatre & Film
      • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
      • Faithful & Mindful Living
      • Music, Poetry & Arts
      • Sports
      • Technology
      • Your Take
  • events
  • About
      • Mission
      • Advisory Board
      • Staff
      • Contact Us
Sign Up
  1. Home>
  2. Voting>
  3. early voting>

New Jersey to institute permanent early voting system

Sara Swann
https://twitter.com/saramswann?lang=en
March 26, 2021
Phil Murphy

Gov. Phil Murphy is expected to sign the legislation to expand early voting in New Jersey.

Michael Brochstein/Getty Images

Amid nationwide efforts to restrict access to the ballot box, New Jersey is pushing ahead with plans to expand voting opportunities for the state's upcoming elections.

On Thursday, the state Senate voted 28-8 to approve a bill requiring early in-person voting options for primary and general elections. The state House voted in favor of the bill earlier this month, so it now goes to Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, who is expected to sign it as early as next week.

It's unclear, however, if there will be enough time or money to get the new early voting system in place in time for gubernatorial, state legislative and municipal primaries in June and general elections in November.


Currently, the only way New Jerseyans can vote early is by mail. Once this legislation is enacted, New Jersey will join two dozen other states that require a certain number of days for in-person early voting.

Under this bill, the state would allow for three days of early voting for most primaries, five days of early voting for presidential primaries and nine days (including weekends) of early voting for general elections. For the upcoming general election, the early voting period would be Oct. 23-31. (New Jersey and Virginia conduct non-federal elections in odd years.)

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

Additionally, the measure requires all 21 counties to open between three and seven early voting locations, depending on the number of registered voters in each county.

Those polling locations also must use voting machines that produce a verifiable paper trail, meaning 16 counties would need to purchase new equipment to adhere to this standard. Counties would also need to buy electronic poll books to check in voters and verify registration statuses in real time.

Election officials have raised concerns over the feasibility of implementing an early voting system when both time and funding is short. A fiscal analysis of the bill estimates the cost to be at least $28 million and possibly exceeding $50 million.

The legislation itself only appropriates $2 million for the purchase of printers for paper ballots. But Murphy's budget proposal includes $40 million for the early voting system — $20 million for the current fiscal year and $20 million for the year beginning July 1. The governor's budget is currently under review by the Legislature.

Even if the funding is secured, it's unlikely the system will be in place in time for the statewide primaries in three months. The hope instead is that it will be ready for the general election in November.

While local officials are concerned about the quick timeline, Democratic lawmakers in Trenton say now is not the time to delay on voting expansions. Proponents of the legislation want New Jersey to be seen as a leader in expanding voting access, as Republicans across the country continue to push restrictive measures.

"There are few rights more important than a citizen's ability to vote," said Democratic Sen. Nia Gill, who sponsored the bill. "Passing early voting and implementing electronic poll books will ensure our fundamental right to have our voices heard."

From Your Site Articles
  • New Jersey latest state to restore felon voting rights - The Fulcrum ›
  • New Jersey may keep current legislative maps two extra years - The ... ›
  • 34 states are making voting easier, if only for this fall - The Fulcrum ›
Related Articles Around the Web
  • You'd be able to vote early — in person — under bill that just passed ... ›
  • Senate approves early voting, sending measure to Murphy's desk ... ›
  • New Jersey: in-person voting before Election Day? | NJ Spotlight ... ›
early voting
Get some Leverage Sign up for The Fulcrum Newsletter
Follow
Contributors

Imperfection and perseverance

Jeff Clements

We’ve expanded the Supreme Court before. It’s time to do so again.

Anushka Sarkar

The ‘great replacement theory’ is nonsense

Debilyn Molineaux

Inflation will hit health of low-income Americans hardest

Robert Pearl

Caught in a draft

Lawrence Goldstone

Congress shows signs of bipartisanship with retirement benefits bill

Mario H. Lopez
latest News

Your Take: Inspiring sports memories

Our Staff
20 May

GOP split: Far right gains ground in East, while losing out West

Steven Rosenfeld
20 May

Podcast: Women in and out of politics

Our Staff
20 May

Democratic senators seek $20 billion in election funding

Reya Kumar
19 May

Podcast: A conversation with former Rep. Carlos Curbelo

Our Staff
19 May

Elections require more consistent federal funding, per report

Reya Kumar
18 May
Videos

Video: Helping loved ones divided by politics

Our Staff

Video: What happened in Virginia?

Our Staff

Video: Infrastructure past, present, and future

Our Staff

Video: Beyond the headlines SCOTUS 2021 - 2022

Our Staff

Video: Should we even have a debt limit

Our Staff

Video: #ListenFirstFriday Yap Politics

Our Staff
Podcasts

Podcast: Did economists move the Democrats to the right?

Our Staff
02 May

Podcast: The future of depolarization

Our Staff
11 February

Podcast: Sore losers are bad for democracy

Our Staff
20 January

Deconstructed Podcast from IVN

Our Staff
08 November 2021
Recommended
Your Take: Inspiring sports memories

Your Take: Inspiring sports memories

Your Take
Doug Mastriano

GOP split: Far right gains ground in East, while losing out West

Leveraging big ideas
Podcast: Women in and out of politics

Podcast: Women in and out of politics

Leadership
Statue of William Henry Seward

Imperfection and perseverance

Civic Ed
​Sen. Amy Klobuchar

Democratic senators seek $20 billion in election funding

Government
Podcast: A conversation with former Rep. Carlos Curbelo

Podcast: A conversation with former Rep. Carlos Curbelo

Leadership