Bill Text: NJ S827 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires gubernatorial candidates' statements be posted online.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-10-16 - Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee [S827 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-S827-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
216th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2014 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator JAMES BEACH
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Senator JEFF VAN DREW
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
SYNOPSIS
Requires gubernatorial candidates' statements be posted online.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act requiring gubernatorial candidates' statements to be posted online and amending P.L.1974, c.26.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 12 of P.L.1974, c.26 (C.19:44A-37) is amended to read as follows:
12. The Election Law Enforcement Commission shall, on or before the forty-fifth day prior to the date on which the general election is to be held, supply each county clerk with the text of statements from each candidate for election to the office of Governor. Each candidate for the office of Governor who wishes a statement [mailed] to be posted on the county clerk's website on his behalf shall submit to the commission, on forms provided by it, his proposed statement which shall not exceed 500 words in length. Each county clerk shall cause the statements submitted by all such candidates to be [printed and mailed with the sample ballot for the general election to each registered voter in the county] posted on the county clerk's website in a conspicuous location and available as a hardcopy upon request, with a short explanation prepared by the commission that such statements are provided pursuant to this law to assist the voters of this State in making their determination among the candidates for the office of Governor. The statements shall also be posted in a conspicuous location on the websites of the Division of Elections and the Election Law Enforcement Commission.
The sample ballot shall note that gubernatorial statements are available upon request to the county clerk, on the county clerk's website and the websites of the Division of Elections and the Election Law Enforcement Commission.
The cost of [printing and mailing] posting such statements shall be paid for by the counties; except that any cost to the counties resulting from the [printing and mailing] posting of such statements shall be reimbursed from State funds appropriated to the commission for that purpose on claim therefor made by the county clerk to the commission.
(cf: P.L.1980, c.74, s.12)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
Under current law, the Election Law Enforcement Commission provides each county clerk with a statement from candidates for election to the office of Governor who wish a statement to be provided to the public. Currently, those statements are printed and mailed with the sample ballot for the general election to each registered voter in the county.
This bill will require that the statements be posted on the county clerk's website in a conspicuous location or available by mail upon request, instead of being printed and mailed with the sample ballots. The bill also requires the statement to be posted in a conspicuous location on the websites of the Division of Elections and the Election Law Enforcement Commission.
