Title 19, Title 19: ELECTIONS

19:14-8.1. Ballots for presidential electors When Presidential Electors are to be elected, their names shall not be printed upon the ballot, either paper or voting machine, but in lieu thereof, the names of the candidates of their respective parties or political bodies for Presid…

19:14-9. Duplicate nominations for same office; selection of column and designation A candidate who receives more than one nomination for the same office, either from more than one political party or from more than one group of petitioners, or from one or more political parties a…

19:15-1. Supervision of district boards by county board; district boards to hold and conduct elections The county board shall have supervision and direction of and authority over the district boards at all elections, including commission form of government elections held within t…

19:15-10. Proclamation of opening of polls The district boards, before they receive any vote, shall make public proclamation of the opening of the election and of their readiness to receive the votes of the voters, and thereupon the election shall be opened.

19:15-11. Distribution and use of ballot box keys; locking ballot boxes At the opening of the election each of the keys of the locks of the ballot box shall be taken by a different member of the board, who shall keep the same until the statement of the result of the election shal…

19:15-12. Ballot box shown to be empty; locking Immediately before proceeding to receive the votes the board shall in an open and public manner exhibit the ballot box so that those present may see that there is nothing contained therein, and thereupon close and lock the same, lea…

19:15-17 Comparison of signatures or statements; identifying documentation. 19:15-17. a. The comparison of signatures of a voter made upon registration and upon election day, and if the voter alleges his inability to write, the comparison of the answers made by such voter upon re…

19:15-18. Voter challenges 19:15-18. The members of the district boards and any duly authorized challenger, respectively, shall at any election challenge every person who shall claim to have a right to vote therein whom they or he shall know, suspect or believe not to be qualifie…

19:15-18.1. Challenged voter may establish right to vote 2. a. Any voter whose name does not appear on a challenge list prepared by the superintendent of elections of the county but who is challenged as not qualified or entitled to vote by a duly authorized challenger or by a mem…

19:15-18.2. Grounds for challenging right to vote specified 3. If a person whose name does not appear on a challenge list prepared by the superintendent of elections of the county is challenged as not qualified or entitled to vote by a duly authorized challenger or by a member of…

19:15-18.3 Challenged voter may appeal to Superior Court judge. 6. Any person whose name does not appear on a challenge list prepared by the superintendent of elections of the county but who is challenged and denied the right to vote on the day of a municipal, primary, general, o…

19:15-19. Challenge on ground of conviction of crime; questions and answers If a person be challenged as convicted of a crime which bars him from exercising the right to vote, he shall be required to answer in relation to such alleged conviction, and if he shall admit that he has…

19:15-2 Operation hours of polls; members present. 19:15-2. The district boards shall open the polls for such election at 6:00 A.M. and close them at 8:00 P.M., and shall keep them open during the whole day of election between these hours; except that for a school election held a…

19:15-20. Challenge on ground of alienage; evidence of citizenship If a person shall be challenged as not qualified or entitled to vote, and the person challenging him shall specify a ground for such challenge to be that the person so challenged is an alien, the judge of election…

19:15-21. Challenge on grounds of disqualification; oath 19:15-21. If a person shall be challenged as not qualified or entitled to vote, the judge may forthwith tender to him an oath or affirmation, in the following form: "You do swear (or affirm, as the case may be), that you ar…

19:15-22. Examination of challenged voter Upon any question or challenge of a voter duly registered it shall be the duty of the board, and the privilege of all its members, to put all such questions as are proper to determine the right of the voter to vote.

19:15-23. Questions asked persons challenged in municipalities having permanent registration In municipalities having permanent registration, if a voter is challenged, the board shall ask him the questions which were asked him upon registration, the answers to which appear on the…

19:15-24. Challenging voter, procedure, violations by members of board, removal 19:15-24. The district boards shall not give a ballot to any person unless they shall be satisfied that such person is in all respects qualified and entitled to vote; and for the purpose of satisfying…

19:15-25. Ballot given to voter; instructions In all municipalities after the district board shall have ascertained that a voter is properly registered and qualified to vote the inspector of election shall furnish to the voter one official ballot numbered to correspond with the p…

19:15-26 Ballots marked secretly in booth; violation disorderly persons offense. 19:15-26. Every voter to whom a ballot is given shall thereupon retire into the polling booth. Each booth in a polling place shall be arranged in accordance with the provisions of R.S.19:8-7. Not mor…

19:15-27. Voting 19:15-27. To vote for any candidates whose names are printed in any column, the voter shall mark a cross x , plus + or check in ink or pencil in the square at the left of the name of each candidate in any column for whom he desires to vote to the number to be ele…

19:15-28. Voting for personal choice 19:15-28. Nothing in this Title shall prevent any voter from writing or pasting under the proper title of office in the column designated personal choice the name or names of any person or persons for whom he desires to vote whose name or name…

19:15-29. Ballot spoiled by voter; procedure to obtain another Should any voter to whom any official ballot has been handed spoil or render the same unfit for use, he may return it and obtain another from the district board, but no more than two official ballots shall be furnishe…

19:15-3. Lighting and equipment of booths The board shall cause the booths of the polling places to be at all hours well and sufficiently lighted to enable voters to read and prepare their ballots with ease, and shall cause each booth to be kept provided with sufficient lead penc…

19:15-30. Folding ballot; retention by voter until received by board Before leaving the booth the voter shall fold his ballot so that no part of the face of it shall be visible and so as to display the face of the numbered coupon, and the ballot of such claimant shall remain in h…

19:15-31. Delivery of ballot by voter to board; procedure thereon He shall then hand the ballot with the coupon undetached to the member of the election board having charge of the ballot box, which member shall call off the number of the ballot and the name of the voter. If the n…

19:15-32. Ballot deposited in ballot box by member of board Thereupon the member of the board having charge of the ballot box, without displaying any part of the face of the ballot, shall remove the coupon from the top of the ballot and place the ballot in the box and the coupon …

19:15-33. Ballot box filled When one ballot box is filled with ballots the board shall seal the same and provide another box.

19:15-34. Time limit for challenging The right to challenge voters shall exist until the ballot shall have been deposited in the ballot box, and the procedure in case the right of a person to vote is challenged shall be the same as herein prescribed when the right of a person to …

19:15-4. Official ballots only used; place of keeping and distribution; no envelopes The board shall permit no other ballots to be used at the general election except the ballots which are by this title provided for. It shall confine the distribution and use of such ballots to th…

19:15-5. Emergency ballots; preparation; use If at any election the ballots to be furnished therefor shall not be delivered at the time above mentioned, or if after delivery they shall be destroyed or stolen and other official ballots cannot be obtained in time for such election,…

19:15-6. Unofficial ballots; use permitted If from any cause neither the official ballot nor ballots otherwise prepared as herein prescribed shall be ready for distribution at any polling place, or if the supply of ballots shall be exhausted before the polls are closed, unofficia…

19:15-8 Persons allowed in polling place; simulated voting. 19:15-8. a. No person shall be allowed or permitted to be present in the polling place or polling room during the progress of the election except the officers connected with the election, persons connected with the opera…

19:15-9. Persons in polling place allowed to vote at closing of polls After the hour fixed for closing the polls voters already within such place or room or in line shall be permitted to prepare and cast their ballots.

19:15A-1 Early voting. 1. a. In addition to all other forms of voting provided for by this Title, a registered voter shall be permitted to vote at a specially designated polling place before the day of certain primary and general elections in this State. This procedure shall be k…

19:15A-2 Appointment of challengers for early voting. 2. a. The appointment of challengers for early voting shall be in the following manner: (1) The chairperson of the county committee of any political party that has duly nominated any candidate for public office to be voted for…

19:15A-3 Information available to the public. 3. During each early voting period, the county board shall make available to the public a tally of the total number of voters who have cast a ballot at each early voting location during the previous day. The county boards shall prepar…

19:15A-4 Early votes canvassed after closing of polls on day of election. 4. a. An early vote cast in an election, as provided for in this act, P.L.2021, c.40 (C.19:15A-1 et al.), shall not be canvassed prior to the closing of the polls on the day of an election. Every provisiona…

19:15A-5 Published information concerning early voting procedure. 5. In addition to any publications required under Title 19 of the Revised Statutes, the Secretary of State and each county board of elections shall cause to be published information concerning the early voting proc…

19:15A-6 Reimbursement for local governing body. 6. In compliance with the provisions of Article VIII, Section II, paragraph 5 of the New Jersey Constitution, upon application for reimbursement by a county governing body or a municipal governing body, as may be appropriate, to th…

19:15A-7 Adjustments to regulations, new regulations. 7. The Secretary of State is hereby authorized to make such adjustments to regulations issued pursuant to Title 19 of the Revised Statutes and to issue any new regulations as may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this…

19:15A-8 Application of provisions of act. 24. The provisions of this act, P.L.2021, c.40 (C.19:15A-1 et al.), shall only apply to the 2021 general election and general elections thereafter; the 2022 primary election and primary elections thereafter; and, if adopted by a municipa…

19:16-10. Public announcement of results After completing the same the chairman of the board shall audibly and publicly announce the result thereof, particularly specifying the whole number of the votes in the poll book, the name of each person for whom any vote shall have been g…

19:16-2. Votes counted publicly without adjournment The district board shall then proceed forthwith to count the votes for each candidate or proposition and shall complete such count without delay or adjournment. The counting shall be open and public, but not to the extent that t…

19:16-3. Counting votes; distinguishing marks; ballots improperly prepared. 19:16-3. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law to the contrary, when canvassing the ballots the district board shall count the votes as follows: a. If proper marks are made in the squares to the…

19:16-4. Void ballots; distinguishing marks. 19:16-4. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law to the contrary, when counting the ballots: a. The board shall deem null and void all ballots which are wholly blank, or on which more names have been marked for every office tha…