Bill Text: NJ A639 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Directs Secretary of State to work with chief elections official in other states to identify and eliminate duplicate voter registration records.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-27 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee [A639 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-A639-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
217th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2016 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman MICHAEL PATRICK CARROLL
District 25 (Morris and Somerset)
Assemblyman PARKER SPACE
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
Assemblywoman GAIL PHOEBUS
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
SYNOPSIS
Directs Secretary of State to work with chief elections official in other states to identify and eliminate duplicate voter registration records.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act establishing a program in the Department of State to undertake certain measures regarding voter registration records and supplementing chapter 34 of Title 19 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is established in the Department of State a program in which the Secretary of State shall work in cooperation with the chief state elections official in every other state to find and eliminate from the voter registration records of this State the name and address of every registered voter who has registered to vote in another state or jurisdiction and who no longer resides in this State.
To effectuate the purposes of this program, the secretary shall:
(1) call for and receive the full cooperation of the county board of elections, superintendent of elections or commissioner of registration in each county and such other election officials as deemed necessary by the secretary;
(2) use the Statewide voter registration system and any ancillary voter registration information storage system employed by a county board of elections to effectuate the purposes of this act; and
(3) negotiate and enter into such agreements with the chief state election official of every other state as the secretary may deem necessary to effectuate the purposes of this section.
b. No later than six months following the date of enactment of P.L. , c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as this bill) and no later than April 15 of each year thereafter, the Secretary of State shall prepare and submit a report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the General Assembly and the Minority Leader of the General Assembly on the secretary's activities with regard to this program during the previous 12-month period and offer recommendations, if necessary, to further the purposes of this section. The report shall be submitted pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1).
c. Any individual found to be in violation of R.S.19:34-1 and any other applicable statute as a result of the program established by this section shall be subject to the punishment prescribed by R.S.19:34-1 and any other applicable statute.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes in the Department of State a program in which the Secretary of State will work in cooperation with the chief state elections official in every other state to find and eliminate from the voter registration records of this State the name and address of every registered voter who has in another state or jurisdiction and who no longer resides in this State.
The secretary will: 1) call for and receive the full cooperation of the county board of elections, superintendent of elections or commissioner or registration in each county and such other election officials as deemed necessary by the secretary; 2) use the Statewide voter registration system and any ancillary voter registration information storage system employed by a county board of elections to effectuate the purposes of this bill; and 3) negotiate and enter into such agreements with the chief state election official of every other state as the secretary may deem necessary to effectuate the purposes of the bill.
The bill provides that no later than six months following the date of enactment of this bill and no later than April 15 of each year thereafter, the Secretary of State must prepare and submit a report to the Governor and legislative leaders on the secretary's activities with regard to the program during the previous 12-month period and offer recommendations, if necessary, to further its purposes.
Under the bill, any individual found to be in violation of R.S.19:34-1 and any other applicable statute as a result of the program would be subject to the punishment prescribed by that and any other applicable statute. A violation of R.S.19:34-1 is a crime of the third degree, which is punishable by up to five years imprisonment and a fine of up to $15,000.
