Clarifies bilingual Spanish and English language accessibility requirements applicable to printing primary and general election ballots in certain districts.

S3506

SENATE, No. 3506

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 12, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� ANTHONY M. BUCCO

District 25 (Morris and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

���� Clarifies bilingual Spanish and English language
accessibility requirements applicable to printing primary and general election
ballots in certain districts.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
concerning the language accessibility requirements
applicable to primary and general election ballots and amending R.S.19:14-2,
R.S.19:23-25, and P.L.2009, c.79.

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

���� 1.� R.S.19:14-2 is amended to
read as follows:

���� 19:14-2.� There shall be a
single or blanket form of ballot, upon which shall be printed the names of all
the candidates of every party or group of petitioners having candidates to be
voted for at such election.� The name of a candidate nominated at the primary
who shall fail to accept his nomination, or file the oath of allegiance
executed, in the manner herein provided shall not be printed on the ballot.�
The name of a candidate whose nomination has been vacated as hereinbefore
provided shall not be printed on the ballot.� The name of a candidate shall
appear but once upon the ballot for the same office.

���� Except as to the requirements
[
of section
19:14-15
]

of this Title as to State-wide propositions, any public question which is to be
submitted to the people of the State, county or municipality at the general
election, shall be printed in a separate space at the foot of the ballot with
appropriate instructions to the voter.

����
The county clerk shall
cause the official general election ballot to be printed in English but for
each election district within the county in which the primary language of 10
percent or more of the registered voters is Spanish shall cause the official
general election ballot to be printed bilingually in English and Spanish.

(cf: P.L.1949, c.24, s.6)

���� 2.� R.S.19:23-25 is amended to
read as follows:

���� 19:23-25.� The ballots shall
be made up and printed consistent with the requirements of section 2 of
P.L.2025, c.32 (C.19:23-23.2) and in substantially the following form:

���� At the top of each ballot
shall be printed the words "Official Democratic Party Primary
Ballot," or "Official Republican Party Primary Ballot," or, as
the case may be, naming the proper political party, as provided in this Title;
below which and extending across the ballot in one or more lines, as may be
necessary, shall be printed the words ................ name of county ����..
name of municipality ................... ward ................ election
district ..................... date of election ................... John Doe,
county clerk; the blank spaces shall be filled in with the name of the proper
county, municipality, the ward and the district number and the date of
election.� The name of the county clerk shall be a facsimile of the county
clerk's signature. This heading shall be set apart from the body of the ballot
by a heavy diagram rule.� Below this rule shall be printed the following
directions instructing the voter how to indicate the voter's choice for each
office and position and for how many persons to vote for each office and
position:� To vote for any person whose name is printed upon this ballot mark a
cross x, plus +, check, or an otherwise appropriate mark on the oval or space
next to the name of such person.� To vote for any person whose name is not
printed upon this ballot write or paste the name in the blank space under the
proper title of office and mark a cross x, plus +, check, or an otherwise
appropriate mark on the oval or space next to the name of such person.� Below
these instructions shall be printed a heavy diagram rule, below which shall be
printed the government levels describing the offices to be voted for below
which shall be separate office blocks headed by the titles of offices and
positions for which candidates are to be voted for at the primary election,
together with such directions to the voter as may be necessary. "Vote for
one," "Vote for two," or a greater number, as the case may be,
shall be included with any other directions to the voters and shall be printed
in an obvious and conspicuous manner.�

���� The office blocks shall be
arranged in the following order:

���� (1) federal offices, below
which shall be printed separate office blocks for choice for President or
electors for President, members of the United States Senate, and members of the
House of Representatives;

���� (2) State offices, below which
shall be printed separate office blocks for Governor, members of the State
Senate, and members of the General Assembly;

���� (3) countywide offices, below
which shall be printed separate office blocks for county executive, member of
the board of county commissioners, county clerk, county sheriff, and any other
county offices in their respective office blocks;

���� (4) municipal offices, below
which shall be printed separate office blocks for mayor, member of the council
or municipal governing body, and any other municipal offices in their
respective office blocks;

���� (5) any other titles of
office, below which shall be printed separate office blocks for each office;

���� (6) delegates and
alternates-at-large to the national conventions of political parties, provided
that the candidates for delegates and alternates-at-large may be placed next to
the office block for choice for President or electors for President;

���� (7) district delegates and
alternates to conventions of political parties, provided that the candidates
for district delegates and alternates may be placed next to the office block
for choice for President or electors for President; and

���� (8) candidates for county
party positions.

���� A heavy diagram rule shall be
used to distinguish each office block for the different offices.� Underneath
the proper title of office and position shall be printed the names of all those
persons certified as candidates for the offices to the municipal clerk by the
county clerk as hereinbefore provided, and the names of persons endorsed as
such candidates in petitions on file in the office of the municipal clerk as
they appear signed to the certificate of acceptance. The name of any person
endorsed in a petition as provided who shall fail to certify the person's
consent and agreement to be a candidate for nomination to the office specified
therein shall not be printed upon the ballots to be used at the primary
election.� In the case of a vacancy among nominees, the name of the person
selected in the manner provided in this Title to fill the same shall be printed
upon the ballots in the place of the person vacating such nomination.�

���� The candidates shall be
arranged as indicated on their petitions for nomination for the same office
with multiple open seats in all cases where the petitions endorsing such
candidates and filed in accordance with R.S.19:23-18 request for such
candidates to be associated within the same office block.� The slogan or
endorsement named by candidates in their petitions for nomination, as provided
by R.S.19:23-17, shall be printed next to or below the names of such
candidates.

���� Immediately next to the name
of each candidate for office and position shall be printed an oval or space in
which the voter shall indicate the voter's choice.� A heavy diagram rule shall
be used between each office block.� The ballot shall be so arranged that all
candidates seeking the same office are listed in one contiguous office block.�
No candidate shall be separated from other candidates seeking the same office
on the ballot.

���� Each primary ballot shall
contain, at the end of the list of candidates for each different office, blank
spaces or lines equal to the number of persons to be elected to the office for
the purpose of allowing any voter to write or paste the name of any person for
whom the voter desires to vote for any office or party position.

����
The county clerk shall
cause the official primary election ballot of each political party to be
printed in English but for each election district within the county in which
the primary language of 10 percent or more of the registered voters is Spanish
shall cause the official primary election ballot of each political party to be
printed bilingually in English and Spanish.

(cf: P.L.2025, c.32, s.6)

���� 3.� Section 7 of P.L.2009,
c.79 (C.19:63-7) is amended to read as follows:

���� 7.� a.� Each county clerk
shall have printed sufficient mail-in ballots for each primary election for the
general election, and for the general election.� Along with such ballots the
clerk shall also furnish inner and outer envelopes and printed directions for
the preparation and transmitting of such ballots used in the election in the
county.� Except for any primary election for the general election, each county
clerk shall ensure that the delivery envelope, which is the envelope that is
used to mail the blank ballot, the outer envelope, and the inner envelope to
each voter shall not contain any political affiliation or designation visible
to the public on the envelope's exterior.

���� b.��� The mail-in ballots
shall be printed on paper of a different color from that used for any primary
or general election ballot, but in all other respects, shall be as nearly as
possible facsimiles of the election ballot to be voted at the election.

����
c. Each county clerk shall
cause the mail-in ballots for the primary election and the general election,
the inner and outer envelopes, and the printed directions for the preparation
and transmitting of such ballots, to be printed in English but for each
election district within the county in which the primary language of 10 percent
or more of the registered voters is Spanish shall cause all of these materials to
be printed bilingually in English and Spanish.

(cf: P.L.2022, c.69, s.4)

���� 4.� This act shall take effect
immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill clarifies the bilingual
Spanish and English language accessibility requirements applicable to printing
primary and general election ballots in certain districts.� Under current law,
the county clerk is required to print the primary and general election sample
ballots in both English and Spanish for each election district within the
county in which the primary language of 10 percent or more of the registered
voters is Spanish.� The statutes further provide that the sample ballots must
be facsimiles of the official primary or general election ballots.

���� This bill inserts the same
language printing requirements in the statutes applicable to the official
primary and general election ballots.� The bill requires the county clerk to
print in English the official primary election ballots of each political party,
and the official general election ballots, and to print such ballots in both
English and Spanish for each election district within the county in which the primary
language of 10 percent or more of the registered voters is Spanish.� The bill
clarifies that the same bilingual printing requirements apply to mail-in
ballots, the inner and outer envelopes, and the printed directions for the
preparation and transmitting of such ballots.

���� The bill also deletes a
reference to a repealed section of law.