Election Day could become two weeks long under N.J. Democrats' bill

March 8, 2013

TRENTON — Instead of having one day to vote, New Jersey residents would get a two-week window to cast their ballots in person under a measure approved by an Assembly panel today.

The voting process would undergo a costly sea change if the bill (A3553) becomes law. Every municipality with more than 30,000 voters would have to set up more polling places, keep them open longer and hire more poll workers.

The nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services said yesterday that the changes would cost the state $46 million this year and $20 million in the next year, agreeing with a cost estimate by Gov. Chris Christie’s administration.

The chairman of the state Democratic Party, Assemblyman John Wisniewski, said Hurricane Sandy kept many people at home who would have voted. The superstorm struck New Jersey days before the 2012 elections.

Only 67 percent of registered voters cast their ballots, according to the state Division of Elections. In the last century, the Garden State had never gone below 70 percent in a presidential election year. New Jersey already allows voters to mail in absentee ballots.

"Sandy threw a wrench into the machinery of Election Day and created tremendous confusion," said Wisniewski, a bill sponsor. "This is a matter of convenience and ensuring every resident who is registered and wants to vote will have the opportunity to do so."

The League of Municipalities opposes the bill, saying the changes would be too onerous for local workers.

"A municipality may need to reschedule things like council meetings, meetings of land use boards, or municipal court dates" to meet the voting demand, said Bill Dressel, the group’s executive director.

The bill cleared the Assembly Appropriations Committee and heads to the full chamber. No companion bill has been introduced in the Senate.