Permits 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in elections for local school board.

A1913

ASSEMBLY, No. 1913

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman CLEOPATRA G. TUCKER

District 28 (Essex and Union)

Assemblyman GABRIEL RODRIGUEZ

District 33 (Hudson)

Assemblyman� KENYATTA STEWART

District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman Reynolds-Jackson, Assemblyman Tully,
Assemblywomen Swain and Haider

SYNOPSIS

���� Permits 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in elections for
local school board.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act
permitting 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in local school
board elections and supplementing P.L.1995, c.278.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� a.� Notwithstanding any
law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, any person who is at least 16 years
of age, who is a citizen of the United States, and who has resided in a school
district for 30 days preceding the school election, shall be eligible to vote
for members of the school board of education in the school district in which
they reside.�

���� b.��� The Secretary of State,
by rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to the �Administrative Procedure
Act,� P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), shall:

���� (1)�� create a registration
form and a process to register 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in school board
elections, which shall conform as nearly as possible to the equivalent form and
process utilized for all other eligible voters under chapter 31 of Title 19 of
the Revised Statutes;

���� (2)�� establish a method to
verify the identity of registered 16 and 17-year-old voters, which shall
conform as nearly as possible to the methods utilized for all other eligible
voters under the provisions of this Title;

���� (3)�� provide for the design
of paper ballots on which 16 and 17-year-olds may vote for school board
members; and

���� (4)�� ensure the provisions of
this section are implemented effectively, and in a manner compatible with the
administration of all other elections conducted in this State.

���� c.���� Nothing in this section
shall be construed to require any action on the part of any school board or
municipality in order to implement the provisions of this section.

���� d.��� Nothing in this section
shall be construed to permit any person under 18 years of age to vote in any
election other than that for school board members in the school district in
which they reside.

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect January 1 next following the date of enactment.

STATEMENT

���� Under current law, any person
who is at least 18 years of age, who is a citizen of the United States, and who
is a resident of the district in which they wish to vote, is entitled to
register and vote in elections in this State.

���� This bill permits 16 and
17-year-olds, who are U.S. citizens and residents of New Jersey, to vote only
in their local school elections for school board members.� The bill does not
allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in any other election.

���� The bill directs the Secretary
of State to promulgate rules that:

���� (1)�� create a registration
form and a process to register 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in school board
elections, which conforms as nearly as possible to the equivalent form and
process utilized for all other eligible voters;

���� (2)�� establish a method of
verifying the identity of registered 16 and 17-year-old voters which conforms
as nearly as possible to the methods utilized for all other eligible voters;

���� (3)�� provide for the design
of paper ballots on which 16 and 17-year-olds may vote for school board
members; and

���� (4)�� ensure the provisions of
this act are implemented effectively and in a manner compatible with all other
elections held in this State.

���� This bill does not require
action on the part of any school board or municipality in order to implement
its provisions.