STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman BARBARA MCCANN STAMATO
District 31 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Requires candidates for county committee to receive number of write-in votes at least equal to number of signatures required to be placed on ballot in order to be elected.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning election for county committee by irregular ballot or write-in votes and amending R.S.19:23-54.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. R.S.19:23-54 is amended to read as follows:
19:23-54. The municipal clerk shall canvass the statements of the district board, not later than the third day after they are received, as far as they relate to the election of members of the county committee of any political party, and, after counting information on write-in votes, vote by mail ballots, and provisional ballots received from the county clerk or board of elections, as appropriate, shall issue a certificate of election to each person shown by the returns to have been so elected.
No person whose name was printed on a primary ballot as a candidate for the county committee shall receive a certificate of election as a member of any other county committee.
The name of a person for whom votes are cast by irregular ballot or by write-in vote in a primary election to elect candidates for the county committee shall not be issued a certificate of election unless the candidate received a number of irregular ballots or write-in votes at the primary election at least equal to the number of signatures required on a petition to place upon the primary election ballot the name of a candidate for county committee, pursuant to R.S.19:23-8.
When a person whose name was not printed on a primary ballot as a candidate for member of the county committee has been elected as a member of the county committee of more than one political party, the person shall file with the municipal clerk within three days a statement certifying to which political party the person belongs, and a certificate of election shall be issued to such person as a member of the county committee of the political party so certified.
Any person elected as a member of the county committee of any political party whose name was not printed upon the primary ballot and to whom a certificate of election has been issued, shall before the organization of the municipal and county committee file with the [secretary] secretaries thereof a written statement certifying that the person is a member of such political party.
The county clerk shall within thirteen days after the primary election certify to the county board two copies of the names and post-office addresses of the persons elected as members of the county committee of the several political parties, together with the ward, district or unit which they respectively represent.
(cf: P.L.2021, c.108, s.3)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires candidates for county committee whose name does not appear on the ballot to receive the number of write-in votes at least equal to the number of signatures required to be placed on ballot, in order to be elected.
Under current law, N.J.S.A.19:23-8, candidates for county committee must receive a certain number of signatures to be placed on the primary election ballot. In a municipality that has a population over 14,000, the candidate is required to receive at least 50 signatures of voters on a petition. In all other municipalities, the candidate is required to receive at least 25 signatures. However, the number of signers may be fewer than these minimums, but is required to be at least 5 percent in number of the total vote cast by the voters of that political party at the last preceding primary election held for the election of that party's candidates for the General Assembly. In no case, however, would there be fewer than one signer of any such petition.