Bill Text: NJ S3204 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires postal tracking of mail-in ballots.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-11-19 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee [S3204 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-S3204-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator NIA H. GILL
District 34 (Essex and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Requires postal tracking of mail-in ballots.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the free-access system for voters and amending P.L.2004, c.88.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 4 of P.L.2004, c.88 (C.19:61-4) is amended to read as follows:
4. a. The Secretary of State shall establish a free-access system, such as a toll-free telephone number, an Internet website or any combination thereof, that any individual who casts a provisional ballot, mail-in ballot, or overseas ballot in all elections where they are qualified to vote, may access to ascertain whether the ballot of that individual was accepted for counting and, if the vote was not counted, the reason for the rejection of the ballot. The system shall at all times preserve the confidentiality of each voter, and shall ensure that no person, other than the individual who cast the ballot, may discover whether or not that individual's ballot was accepted or rejected, unless so informed by the voter.
b. The free-access system shall be prominently displayed on the New Jersey Division of Elections website under a "Track My Ballot" user portal.
c. To applicable situations, the free-access system shall record the date that the mail-in ballot was mailed; the date that the overseas ballot was mailed or transmitted via electronic mail; the date the ballot was received; the notation that the ballot was "Accepted" or "Rejected;" and the code for rejection.
d. The free-access system shall provide postal tracking of mail-in ballots using Intelligent Mail barcodes, or a similar successor tracking system. The free-access system shall track the mail-in ballot from the issuance of the ballot by an election official to the receipt of the ballot by an election official, and shall list the date and location of the mail-in ballot at every point of the mailing and transit process.
e. Beginning on February 1, 2021, the free-access system shall provide a publicly viewable macro-report of the total number of rejected ballots by county and by code along with the totals for votes cast by mail-in ballot, overseas ballots, and total ballots cast. This report shall be kept and made available on the Secretary of State's website for a period of 10 years.
(cf: P.L.2020, c.70, s.2)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
Under the current free-access system
and "Track My Ballot" user portal, the dates that a mail-in ballot was issued
and received by a
county election official are provided. However, postal tracking of the ballot between when the ballot was issued and when it is received by the county election official is not provided.
Under this bill, the free-access system is required to provide postal tracking of mail-in ballots using Intelligent Mail barcodes, or a similar successor tracking system. The free-access system must track mail-in ballots from the time the ballots are issued by an election official to the time the ballots are received by an election official. The free-access system must also list the date and location of the mail-in ballot at every point of the mailing and transit process.
