New Jersey voters can expect new reporting on vote tallies for future elections.
Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law new legislation (A-5176) which would required periodic reporting of vote tallies beginning on the night of primary and general elections.
Reporting would be periodically required until all eligible ballots had been counted and the election was certified.
Time Mandates
By law, reporting would begin by 11:59 p.m. on the day of each primary and general election, and would be updated by 9 p.m. every day thereafter until the certification of the election.
“In the past few years, we have witnessed attacks on our democracy across the country, resulting in the spread of disinformation and misinformation surrounding our elections,” said Murphy.
$1.5 Million Allocation
The Murphy Administration noted this type of election information was particularly helpful in close races, where late-counted mail-in or provision ballots could determine the outcome of an election.
“Here in New Jersey, our voters can be certain that we are working hard to make sure our elections are conducted in a way that bolsters public confidence in our democracy,” the Governor added.
The bill will appropriate $1.5 million to the Department of State, which houses the Division of Elections. The funding will be used to implement the new reporting requirements.
Integrity of Elections
“A clear and open election process is one of the foundations of our democracy,” said State Sen. Andrew Zwicker (D-16), who served as a prime sponsor of the legislation. “This law will further ensure that clarity, eliminate confusion about results, and serve to counteract misinformation that circulates on social media and elsewhere.”
Upon certification of the election, the bill requires that personnel from each county to provide district-level results for in-person early votes, election day votes, and mail-in votes on the county clerk’s website.
“There’s nothing more important than securing our democracy and maintaining the integrity of our institutions…This law will standardize clear, timely reporting of progress made in vote counts and concise explanations of what remains to be counted,” said Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin (D-19), who also served as a primary sponsor of the bill.
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