Gov. Phil Murphy Signs a New Early In-Person Voting Law in New Jersey

By Anthony Covino

Sports Editor

Gov. Phil Murphy signed off on a new law where voters will be specified the first time they will have a chance to vote at a polling place ahead of the Nov. 2 general election, according to The Hill.

New in-person voting begins up to 10 days before an election where under the new law, early voting starts four days before a non-presidential primary, six days before presidential primary and 10 days before a general election, The Hill also reports.

In all contests, early voting ends on Sunday before Election Day. This new law also requires three to seven polling places in each county, which depends on the number of registered voters living there. County election officials can choose to open additional polling locations as well, The Hill continues.

Voters will cast ballots on optical-scan voting machines that read hand-marked paper ballots or other machines as long as they produce a paper trail. This law also requires the use of electronic poll books in early and Election Day voting. Electronic poll books will allow for instant voter registration checks and can help curb duplicate votes, The Hill continues.

Each county election board must create a plan to “ensure, to the greatest extent possible, the integrity of the voting process” and ballot security during early voting. All plans must be reviewed by the Secretary of State, who oversees the elections in New Jersey. The security plan is due in 30 days, according to the law.

After the majority mail-in voting for the 2020 election, elections will look different in the future. It’s important for voters to stay updated on policies so they are aware of what is happening when it comes time to vote again.

COVID-19 Numbers