Trenton – Legislation sponsored by Senator James Beach and Senator Shirley Turner that would allow registered voters to submit an application to vote by mail electronically was approved by the Senate today.

“Voting by mail has only grown in popularity since New Jersey authorized its usage in 2009,” said Senator Beach (D-Camden/Burlington). “After a general election so heavily reliant on vote-by-mail ballots, we expect more people to prefer this option going forward, and using the online registration website would help facilitate it.”

The bill, S-2820, allows registered voters to submit an application to vote by mail using the state online voter registration website up to seven days before election day.

“There is no telling how long COVID-19 will be influencing the way we live our lives, how we work, how we shop and how we vote,” said Senator Turner (D-Mercer/Hunterdon). “It is important for us to take the lessons we’ve learned in recent months and look for ways to improve systems that service the public. This bill would provide ease and convenience to both the public and the officials processing vote by mail requests.”

The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 27-3.