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S3968
SENATE, No. 3968
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED MARCH 19, 2026
Sponsored by:
Senator� CARMEN F. AMATO, JR.
District 9 (Ocean)
Senator� KRISTIN M. CORRADO
District 40 (Bergen, Essex and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
���� Increases certain compensation for poll workers;
provides for overtime pay when polls stay open late.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
concerning the compensation for poll workers and
amending R.S.19:45-6 and P.L.2001, c.245.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� R.S.19:45-6 is amended
to read as follows:
���� 19:45-6.����� The compensation
of each member of the district boards for all services performed by them under
the provisions of this Title shall be as follows:
���� In all counties, for all
services rendered including the counting of the votes, and in counties wherein
voting machines are used, the tabulation of the votes registered on the voting
machines, and the delivery of the returns, registry binders, ballot boxes and
keys for the voting machines to the proper election officials, $300 each time
the primary election, the general election or any special election is held
under this Title; provided, however, that:
���� a. (1) The member of the board
charged with the duty of obtaining and signing for the signature copy registers
shall receive an additional
[
$12.50
]
$50
per election, such remuneration being limited to only one board member per
election, or
[
$6.25
]
$25
to
each of two board members if they share such responsibility for the signature
copy registers, and (2) the member of the board charged with the duty of
returning the signature copy registers shall receive an additional
[
$12.50
]
$50
per election, such remuneration being limited to only one board member per
election, or
[
$6.25
]
$25
to
each of two board members if they share such responsibility for the signature
copy registers;
���� b.��� In the case of any
member of the board who is required under R.S.19:50-1 to attend in a given year
a training program for district board members, but who fails to attend such a
training program in that year, that compensation shall be commensurate with the
State minimum wage for each of those elections;
���� c.���� In counties wherein
voting machines are used no compensation shall be paid for any services
rendered at any special election held at the same time as any primary or
general election. Such compensation shall be in lieu of all other fees and
payments; and
���� d.��� Compensation for
district board members serving at a school election held at a time other than
the time of the general election shall be paid by the board of education of the
school district conducting the election at an hourly rate commensurate with the
State minimum wage, except that the board of education may compensate such
district board members at a pro-rated hourly rate consistent with the daily
rate up to a maximum of $21.43. The provisions of subsections a., b., and c. of
this section shall also apply to district board members serving at a school
election held at a time other than at the time of the general election, except
that in the case of subsection b., the compensation shall be at an hourly rate
commensurate with the State minimum wage.
����
e.���� If, at any election
held under this Title, a polling place is required to remain open beyond the
hours prescribed in R.S.19:15-2 for the closing of the polls in order to allow
voters in line at that time to vote, the members of the district board serving
at such polling place shall be compensated for the additional time the polls
remain open at an hourly rate commensurate with the State minimum wage.
����
f.
���� In addition to
the $300 compensation provided pursuant to this section to each member of a
district board for each time the primary election, the general election, or any
special election is held under this Title, a county may provide, at its
discretion, additional compensation to the members of all district boards in
such county in an amount determined by the county, and the additional
compensation shall be an expense of the county.
����
g.
��� Compensation due
each member shall be paid within 30 days but not within 20 days after each
election; provided, however, that no compensation shall be paid to any member
of any such district board who may have been removed from office or application
for the removal of whom is pending under the provisions of R.S.19:6-4.
����
h.
��� In addition to
the provisions of this section, in the case of any member of the board who is
required under R.S.19:50-1 to attend in a given year a training program for
district board members, a county may provide, at its discretion, compensation
to such a member who attends the training program in an amount determined by
the county, and the compensation shall be an expense of the county.
(cf: P.L.2022, c.5, s.1)
���� 2.��� Section 6 of P.L.2001,
c.245 (C.19:45-6.2) is amended to read as follows:
���� 6.��� In accordance with the
provisions of Art.VIII, Sec.II, par.5 of the Constitution, upon application for
reimbursement by a county governing body to the Secretary of State and approval
of the application by the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting, a
county shall be reimbursed by the State for:
���� a.���� compensation to each
member of the district board of elections who shall have served at the general
election, the primary election, and any nonpartisan municipal, special, or
recall election, and who shall have qualified for and been paid $300 for such service
in accordance with R.S.19:45-6, the sum of $225; and
���� b.��� any additional costs
incurred by the county as a result of the provisions of
[
this act,
]
P.L.2001,
c.245
or P.L.��� , c.��� (pending before the Legislature as this bill)
.
(cf: P.L.2022, c.5, s.2)
���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect January 1 next following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
���� Under current law, a poll
worker who acquires the poll books before polls open is compensated $12.50, and
a poll worker who returns the poll books after polls close is compensated
another $12.50.� If this responsibility is shared between two people, then each
person is compensated $6.25 for acquiring the poll books, and another $6.25 for
returning the poll books.� The maximum that any one person can be compensated
for this responsibility is therefore $25.� This bill would increase such
compensation to $100 for one person, or $50 for two people.
���� This bill also provides that,
any time polls are required to remain open later than is prescribed by law in
order to accommodate voters waiting in line to vote, the poll workers who
remain working at the polls will be compensated at an hourly rate commensurate
with the State minimum wage.
���� The bill specifies that the
State will reimburse any county that incurs additional costs as a result of the
provisions of the bill being enacted.