Senate Passes Diegnan Bill to Update

Notice of Polling Place Locations

TRENTON – The Senate, today, passed legislation sponsored by Senator Patrick J. Diegnan, Jr. that would update the notice of elections requirements to include information for voters to obtain polling place locations.

“Voting is our greatest constitutional right as citizens.  Our goal as policy makers should be finding ways to make it easier for people to vote, not harder,” said Senator Diegnan (D-Middlesex).  “This bill modernizes and makes clear how voters can obtain their polling place information thereby making the right to vote more accessible for all.”

Under current law, the county board of elections must include the day, time, and places of primary, general and school elections in its notice of elections to be published in newspapers. The lengthy notices are an added cost to the counties because the information is not localized.  On the Division of Elections website, however, users can enter an address into a polling place search engine and find their polling station in one click.

The bill, S-756, would update the notice of elections requirements to replace newspaper polling location lists with a notice of how to obtain specific polling information. Under the bill, the notice of elections would direct the public and readers to the phone number and hours of operation for obtaining polling location information, as well as, the website of the Division of Election containing that such information.

The bill was released from the Senate by a vote of 31-0, and next heads to the Assembly for further consideration