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A2455
ASSEMBLY, No. 2455
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman TENNILLE R. MCCOY
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Quijano
SYNOPSIS
���� Requires ballot scanning machines to have privacy
screen, shield, or curtain; requires use of privacy screens and shields at
polling places.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.
��
An Act
concerning the privacy of the vote and amending various
parts of the statutory law, and supplementing chapter 52 of Title 19 of the
Revised Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.� (New section) In all
counties wherein ballot scanning machines are used to canvass hand-marked paper
ballots, the ballot scanning machine shall contain a privacy screen, shield, or
curtain so that privacy is maintained as the voter inserts the voted ballot
into the ballot scanning machine.
���� 2.� R.S.19:8-7 is amended to
read as follows:
���� 19:8-7.� The booths shall be
sufficiently large to enable the voter to conveniently prepare
[
his
]
the
voter�s
ballot as provided for and shall have swinging doors or
privacy
screens, shields, or
curtains so
that privacy is maintained as the voter
prepares the voter�s ballot in secret and screened from the observation of
others.
����
The swinging doors or
privacy screens, shields, or curtains shall be so
arranged that some part
of the person of the voters
[
standing
]
present
in the booths may be seen from the outside thereof when the door or curtains
are closed
or when the voter is present behind the screens or shields
.
���� Each booth shall contain a
counter or shelf suitably placed to enable voters to place their ballots
thereon while preparing the same for voting.
(cf: P.L.2022, c.67, s.3)
���� 3.� R.S.19:15-26 is amended to
read as follows:
���� 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 more than one voter, except as hereinafter provided, shall
be permitted to enter or be in the same booth, at one time.� The voter shall
prepare
[
his
]
the
voter's
ballot in the booth secretly and screened from the observation of
others.
���� Any person or voter who shall
violate the provisions of this section shall be deemed guilty of a disorderly
persons offense.
(cf: P.L.2022, c.67, s.3)
���� 4.� Section 6 of P.L.1973,
c.82 (C.19:53A-6) is amended to read as follows:
����
6.
� a.� Prior to any
election at which electronic voting devices are used the county board of
elections shall have the voting devices prepared for the election and shall
provide the district election officers with voting devices, voting booths,
ballot boxes, ballot cards, "write-in" ballots and other records and
supplies as required.
���� b.��� Ballot cards shall be of
the size, design and stock suitable for processing by automatic data processing
machines.� Each ballot card shall have an attached numbered perforated stub,
which shall be removed by an election officer before it is deposited in the
ballot box.� In primary elections the ballot cards of each political party
shall be distinctly marked or shall be of a different color or tint so that the
ballot cards of each political party are readily distinguishable.
���� c.���� Unless the voting
device enables the voter to mark
[
his
]
the
voter's
choices in secret, the board of elections shall provide a
sufficient number of voting booths for each
[
voting
]
election
district
in a polling place
, which shall be of a size and design
in
accordance with the provisions of R.S.19:8-7
so as to enable the voter to
mark
[
his
]
the
voter's
ballot in secret.
(cf: P.L.2022, c.67, s.8)
���� 5.� This act shall take effect
immediately.
STATEMENT
���� This bill requires ballot
scanning machines to have a privacy screen, shield, or curtain and requires the
use of privacy screens and shields at polling places.
���� Currently, in Essex County,
voters who vote in-person fill out a hand-marked paper ballot and insert the
ballot into a ballot scanning machine to be counted.� In Warren, Middlesex,
Union, Gloucester, and Salem counties, voters who vote in-person vote on an
electronic voting machine that electronically produces a paper ballot that the
voter can verify and then cast.� In the rest of the counties of this State,
voters who vote in-person vote on voting machines that electronically record
and cast the voter�s vote.
���� Given the different types of
voting machines across various counties, it is the sponsor�s belief that no
matter which county a voter casts their vote the voter should not lose the
privacy and secrecy of the ballot that is sacred to voting.