Bill Text: NJ AR184 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges Governor, NJ Secretary of State, and county clerks conduct primarily in-person voting during 2020 General Election.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 7-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-08-25 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee [AR184 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-AR184-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman GERARD SCHARFENBERGER
District 13 (Monmouth)
Assemblyman JON M. BRAMNICK
District 21 (Morris, Somerset and Union)
Assemblyman BRIAN BERGEN
District 25 (Morris and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Urges Governor, NJ Secretary of State, and county clerks conduct primarily in-person voting during 2020 General Election.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution urging the Governor, New Jersey Secretary of State, and county clerks to conduct primarily in-person voting during the 2020 General Election.
Whereas, The dangers posed by the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have led to many difficult decisions for both the leaders and citizens of New Jersey; and
Whereas, It is important to appropriately use the information provided to us by scientists and experts to make informed decisions about the safety and feasibility of various activities; and
Whereas, The 2020 General Election, which includes elections for President of the United States, one seat of the United States Senate from this State, and all the seats of the United States House of Representatives, will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020; and
Whereas, It is crucial that New Jersey officials do everything in their power to ensure an accurate and timely election process for the 2020 General Election; and
Whereas, Executive Order No. 177, issued by the Governor on August 14, 2020, states that the 2020 General Election will be conducted primarily via mail-in ballots; and
Whereas, The order includes detailed safety measures for opening up a limited number of polling locations throughout the State for in-person voting; and
Whereas, With the inclusion of safety measures, the Governor, Secretary of State, and county clerks should strongly consider conducting the 2020 General Election primarily with in-person voting; and
Whereas, There are still many issues that need to be worked out in a primarily mail-in ballot election that the State has not and will not adequately address before the November General Election; and
Whereas, During the July 7, 2020 Primary Election, New Jersey saw numerous instances of mail-in voting issues that revealed the potential for unclear and delayed results in the upcoming General Election; and
Whereas, Final results for the Primary Election were not completely finalized by the Department of State until more than a month later, with the Republican Senate primary still in dispute; and
Whereas, The Primary Election saw 1.47 million New Jersey residents vote, a number that will greatly increase for the General Election, leading to more questions than answers on the feasibility of mail-in voting, a concern county clerks have already expressed to the Governor; and
Whereas, It is imperative that the Governor reverse course on his decision to primarily conduct a mail-in ballot general election and allow the citizens of New Jersey to safely vote in-person to ensure accurate and timely general election results; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House urges the Governor, New Jersey Secretary of State, and county clerks to conduct primarily in-person voting during the 2020 General Election to ensure accurate and timely election results and to take the necessary steps to ensure the public's safety while voting.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the Governor, New Jersey Secretary of State, and all county clerks in the State.
STATEMENT
This resolution urges the Governor, New Jersey Secretary of State, and county clerks to conduct primarily in-person voting during the 2020 General Election.
Executive Order No. 177 states that the State of New Jersey will conduct primarily vote-by-mail voting for the 2020 General Election on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. This election includes selecting the President of the United States, one New Jersey seat in the United States Senate, and all the seats in the United States House of Representatives.
Many county clerks have already expressed concerns of producing timely and accurate results for the November election. While voting by mail has been a staple in the United States for over a hundred years, it is not feasible to conduct it on a Statewide scale with limited time to prepare for it. The 2020 New Jersey Primary Election was held on Tuesday, July 7, 2020 with all mail-in voting. It took more than a month for the Department of State to finalize the election results, with disputes still occurring in key races. These issues will only be multiplied when millions of more voters cast their ballots for the general election.
The Governor's efforts to provide a safe voting procedure for voters amid the COVID-19 pandemic should not be ignored. In his executive order, the Governor lays out numerous detailed procedures to ensure that voters will be safe at polling locations. While COVID-19 poses a threat, proven steps have already been taken to ensure safety, such as social distancing, mask requirements, and cleaning protocols.
It is imperative during such an important election that New Jersey provides accurate and timely results. A Statewide vote-by-mail initiative is not feasible for this election cycle and could prove disastrous for the State. With the procedures already in place and the additional measures implemented by the Governor in his executive order, it is crucial that the Governor reverse course on his decision and make the 2020 General Election primarily in-person voting.
