N.J. Stat. tit. 19, ch. 31

N.J. Stat. tit. 19, ch. 31
in effect

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-1 Registration required to vote

19:31-1. No person shall be permitted to vote at any election unless such person shall have been registered in the manner hereinafter in this chapter provided. Amended 1940,c.18; 1940,c.19; 1981,c.462,s.23; 1994,c.182,s.1.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-2 Commissioner of registration.

19:31-2. In all counties having a superintendent of elections, the superintendent of elections is hereby constituted the commissioner of registration and in all other counties the secretary of the county board is hereby constituted the commissioner of registration. The commissioner of registration shall have complete charge of the registration of all eligible voters within their respective counties. Pursuant to the provisions of section 2 of P.L.2005, c.145 (C.19:31-32), the commissioner of registration shall be responsible for adding to, deleting from, amending and maintaining the records of persons registered to vote in the commissioner's county contained in the Statewide voter registration system established pursuant to section 1 of that act. The commissioner of registration shall have power to appoint temporarily, and the commissioner of registration in counties of the first class having more than 800,000 inhabitants shall have power to appoint on a permanent, or temporary basis, such number of persons, as in the commissioner's judgment may be necessary in order to carry out the provisions of this Title. All persons appointed by the commissioner of registration in counties of the first class having more than 850,000 inhabitants according to the latest federal decennial census to serve for terms of more than six months in any one year shall be in the career service of the civil service and shall be appointed, and hold their positions, in accordance with the provisions of Title 11A, Civil Service. All persons appointed by the commissioner of registration in counties of the first class having more than 600,000 but less than 850,000 inhabitants according to the latest federal decennial census to serve for terms of more than six months in any one year, other than the chief deputy and chief clerk and confidential secretary and chief custodian, shall be in the career service of the civil service and shall be appointed and hold their positions, in accordance with the provisions of Title 11A, Civil Service. Persons appointed by the commissioner of registration in such counties to serve for terms of six months or less in any one year and persons appointed by the commissioner of registration shall not be subject to any of the provisions of Title 11A, Civil Service, but shall be in the unclassified service. In each county the commissioner of registration shall submit to the Attorney General on or before February 15 of each year a plan providing for evening registration for the primary election and on or before July 1 plans providing for evening registration for the general election, which plans shall be subject to approval by the Attorney General. Evening registration shall be made available in the office of each commissioner of registration between the hours of 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. on the 21st day preceding the primary and general elections and, in any year in which municipal elections are to be held in any municipality within the county, on the 21st day preceding those municipal elections. In each county, the commissioner of registration may also establish a plan for out-of-office registration, including door-to-door registration. Nothing in this section shall preclude the commissioner from providing pursuant to plan evening registration in excess of the requirements of this section, or shall preclude or in any way limit out-of-office registration conducted by persons or groups other than the commissioner. The commissioner of registration shall provide such printed forms, blanks, supplies and office telephone and transportation equipment as are necessary in the opinion of the commissioner to carry out the provisions of this Title and any amendments or supplements thereto. Subject to the limitations set forth in chapter 32 of this Title, all necessary expenses incurred, as and when certified and approved by the commissioner of registration shall be paid by the county treasurer of the county. Nothing in the provisions of subtitle 2 of the Title, Municipalities and Counties (R.S.40:16-1 et seq.), shall in anywise be construed to affect, restrict or abridge the powers herein conferred on the commissioners of registration of the several counties. All powers granted to the commissioner in all counties not having superintendents of elections by the provisions of this Title are hereby conferred on the county board in such counties and any and all duties conferred upon the commissioner in all counties not having a superintendent of elections by the provisions of this Title shall only be exercised and performed by such commissioner under the instructions and directions of and subject to the approval of the county board of such counties. Amended 1940, c.165, s.1; 1941, c.275, s.8; 1947, c.168, s.17; 1952, c.290, ss.1,4-6; 1953, c.348, s.1; 1961, c.59, s.3; 1963, c.138, s.1; 1966, c.117, s.1; 1967, c.73, s.1; 1974, c.30, s.4; 1975, c.15, s.1; 1975, c.204, s.1; 1979, c.393; 1981, c.462, s.24; 1994, c.182, s.2; 2005, c.139, s.6; 2005, c.145, s.7.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-3 Registration forms, original and duplicate; contents

19:31-3. a. The commissioner of registration in each county shall maintain one original and one duplicate registration form for the registration of each duly registered voter in the county. Such forms shall consist of an equal number of original forms of one color and duplicate forms of another color. Each set of original and duplicate registration forms shall be serially numbered and each of such forms shall be suitable for locking in a looseleaf binder, shall be approximately 10 inches by 16 inches so as to contain on the face thereof a margin of approximately 2 inches for binding, and shall contain the information hereinafter required. b. Space shall be provided on both the original and duplicate forms at the top for the word "original" on the original forms and the word "duplicate" on the duplicate forms, to be followed immediately below by the word "registration" on both forms. Immediately to the left of the registration and identification statement shall be printed a column approximately 2 1/2 inches wide for subsequent changes in address or removals of such applicant from one district to another. Immediately to the right of the registration and identification statement shall be printed a form for recording the fact that the registered voters have voted. The face of the record of voting form shall be ruled to provide for serial number, the words "original voting record" on the original record of voting form and the words "duplicate voting record" on the duplicate record of voting forms, followed by the name, address and the municipality, ward and district of the registrant at the top of the space. The remainder of the space shall be ruled to provide a record for a period of 20 years of the number of the ballot cast by the registrant at the primary election for the general election, the general election and other elections and also the first three letters of the name of the political party whose ballot such registrant cast at the primary election for the general election. c. The original and duplicate registration and voting forms shall be in the form the Secretary of State prescribes pursuant to section 16 of P.L.1974, c.30 (C.19:31-6.4). Amended 1941,c.174,s.1; 1959,c.127,s.2; 1964,c.7,s.3; 1972,c.82,s.1; 1974,c.30,s.5; 1994,c.182,s.3.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-3.1 Statewide voter information on party affiliation.

1. If the commissioner of registration has maintained information in any form regarding a registrant's party affiliation, the commissioner shall be responsible for maintaining that information for a period of 10 years as part of the current voter information file of the registrant if it is already on computer or magnetic tape or electronic data processing equipment of any kind and for converting such information to such tape or equipment if the information exists but is not on such tape or equipment, so that it becomes part of the Statewide voter registration system. L.1991,c.504,s.1; amended 2005, c.145, s.8.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-3.2 Voter registration; nondisclosure of street address for domestic violence, stalking victims.

1. a. A person who is (1) a victim of domestic violence who has obtained a permanent restraining order against a defendant pursuant to section 13 of the "Prevention of Domestic Violence Act of 1991," P.L.1991, c.261 (C.2C:25-29) and fears further violent acts by the defendant, or (2) a victim of stalking, or member of the immediate family of such a victim as defined by paragraph (3) of subsection a. of section 1 of P.L.1992, c.209 (C.2C:12-10), who is protected under the terms of a permanent restraining order issued pursuant to section 3 of P.L.1996, c.39 (C.2C:12-10.1) and who fears death or bodily injury from the defendant against whom that order was issued, shall be allowed to register to vote without disclosing the person's street address. Such a person shall leave the space for a street address on the original permanent registration form blank and shall, instead, attach to the form a copy of the permanent restraining order and a note which indicates that the person fears future violent acts by the defendant and which contains a mailing address, post office box or other contact point where mail can be received by the person. Upon receipt of the person's voter registration form, the commissioner of registration in all counties having a superintendent of elections, and the county board of elections in all other counties, shall provide the person with a map of the municipality in which the person resides which shows the various voting districts. The person shall indicate to the commissioner or board, as appropriate, the voting district in which the person resides and shall be permitted to vote at the polling place for that district. If such a person thereafter changes residences, the person shall so inform the commissioner or board by completing a new permanent registration form in the manner described above. b. Any person who makes public any information which has been provided by a victim of domestic violence, or by a victim of stalking or the family member of such a victim, pursuant to subsection a. of this section concerning the mailing address, post office box or other contact point of the victim or family member or the election district in which the victim or family member resides is guilty of a crime of the fourth degree. L.1994,c.148,s.1; (title amended 2001, c.177, s.1), amended 2001, c.177, s.2.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-3.3 Digitized images of signatures, use; other information.

2. The commissioner may eliminate the use of the duplicate permanent registration binders and may authorize and direct the use at the polls in place of such a binder, as a signature copy register for the purposes of this Title and Title 40 of the Revised Statutes, of a polling record which identifies on each page the election at which the record is used, which indicates for each registrant the name, address, and date of birth of the registrant and identifies the municipality and the particular election district therein from which the person is registered, and which includes adjacent to the registrant's name and address an imprint of the digitalized image of the registrant's signature and sufficient space, immediately to the left or right of that imprint, for the registrant to sign the record, which imprint and signature shall be used as the signature comparison record as prescribed by this Title. The polling record shall also include for each registrant the registrant's date of birth, an indication of whether the registrant has applied for a mail-in ballot in that election, and a place to indicate whether the registrant has provided identification pursuant to R.S.19:15-17, if such identification is required. The polling record shall also include for each registrant sufficient space for the notation of remarks as provided by R.S.19:15-23 and for the recording of any challenge and the determination thereof by the district board as provided by R.S.19:15-24, or by other elections officials charged with the same duties as the district board in connection with the conduct of an election. In the case of a primary election, the polling record shall also indicate for each registrant the political party, if any, of which the registrant is a member for the purpose of voting at that primary election. Polling records for each election shall be prepared by the commissioner of registration not later than the 10th day preceding the election. At each election, the delivery of the polling records to the municipal clerk and to the district boards or other elections officials charged with the same duties as the district board in connection with the conduct of an election, and the return of those records by the district boards or such other elections officials to the commissioner of registration, shall be made in the manner prescribed by the commissioner. The commissioner of registration shall retain the polling records for any election for a period of not less than six years following that election. L.1994, c.170, s.2; amended 1995, c.278, s.20; 1996, c.3, s.5; 2005, c.139, s.7; 2005, c.145, s.9; 2009, c.79, s.31.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-5 Persons entitled to register; failure to vote no grounds for removal.

19:31-5. Each person, who is at least 17 years of age at the time he or she applies for registration, who resides in the district in which he or she expects to vote, who will be of the age of 18 years or more on or before the first election in which he or she expects to vote, who is a citizen of the United States, and who, if he or she continues to reside in the district until that election, will at the time have fulfilled all the requirements as to length of residence to qualify him or her as a legal voter, shall, unless otherwise disqualified, be entitled to be registered in such district. Each 17-year-old registrant shall be designated in the Statewide voter registration system as temporarily ineligible to vote until the registrant's 18th birthday , except as provided pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2023, c.202 (C.19:4-1.2). Whenever an individual registers by mail after January 1, 2003 to vote for the first time in his or her current county of residence, that individual shall provide either the individual's New Jersey driver's license number or the last four digits of the individual's Social Security Number, or shall submit with the voter registration form a copy of: (1) a current and valid photo identification card; (2) a current utility bill, bank statement, government check or pay check; (3) any other government document that shows the individual's name and current address; or (4) any other identifying document that the Attorney General has determined to be acceptable for this purpose. If the individual does not provide his or her New Jersey driver's license number or Social Security Number information or submit a copy of any one of these documents, either at the time of registration or at any time thereafter prior to attempting to vote, the individual shall be asked for identification when voting for the first time starting at the first election held after January 1, 2004 at which candidates are seeking federal office or thereafter. This requirement shall not apply to any individual entitled to vote by absentee ballot under the "Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act" (42 U.S.C. 1973ff-1 et seq.) or to any individual who is provided the right to vote other than in person under section 3 of Pub.L.98-435, the "Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act," or any other voter entitled to vote otherwise than in person under any other federal law. This requirement shall also not apply to any individual who registers to vote by appearing in person at any voter registration agency or to any individual whose voter registration form is delivered to the county commissioner of registration or to the Attorney General, as the case may be, through a third party by means other than by mail delivery. Once registered, the registrant shall not be required to register again in such district as long as he or she resides therein, except when required to do so by the commissioner, because of the loss of or some defect in his or her registration record. The registrant, when registered as provided in this Title, shall be eligible to vote at any election to be held subsequent to such registration, if he or she shall be a citizen of the United States of the age of 18 years, except as provided pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2023, c.202 (C.19:4-1.2), and shall have been a resident of the State for at least 30 days and of the county at least 30 days, when the same is held, subject to any change in his qualifications which may later disqualify him. No registrant shall lose the right to vote, and no registrant's name shall be removed from the registry list of the county in which the person is registered, solely on grounds of the person's failure to vote in one or more elections. amended 1949, c.123; 1959, c.127, s.3; 1964, c.7, s.4; 1974, c.30, s.6; 1994, c.182, s.4; 2004, c.88, s,10; 2015, c.222; 2023, c.202, s.2.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-6 Registration places, time, requirements.

19:31-6. Any person qualified to vote in an election shall be entitled to vote in the election if the person shall have registered to vote on or before the 21st day preceding the election by: a. registering in person at any offices designated by the commissioner of registration for providing and receiving registration forms; b. completing a voter registration transaction, as processed by a county commissioner of registration, while applying for a motor vehicle driver's license from an agent of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, as provided for in section 24 of P.L.1994, c.182 (C.39:2-3.2); c. completing and returning to the Secretary of State or having returned thereto a voter registration form received from a voter registration agency, as defined in subsection a. of section 26 of P.L.1994, c.182 (C.19:31-6.11), while applying for services or assistance or seeking a recertification, renewal, or change of address at an office of that agency; d. completing and returning to the Secretary of State a voter registration form obtained from a public agency, as defined in subsection a. of section 15 of P.L.1974, c.30 (C.19:31-6.3); e. completing and returning to the Secretary of State or having returned thereto a voter registration form received from a door-to-door canvass or mobile registration drive, as provided for in section 19 of P.L.1974, c.30 (C.19:31-6.7); f. completing and returning to the Secretary of State a federal mail voter registration form, as prescribed in subsection (b) of section 9 of the "National Voter Registration Act of 1993," (42 U.S.C. s. 1973gg et seq.); g. completing and returning to the Secretary of State or the appropriate county clerk an application for a federal postcard application form to register to vote, as permitted pursuant to the federal "Uniform and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act" 52 U.S.C. s.120301 et seq.) and section 4 of P.L.1976, c.23 (C.19:59-4); h. completing a provisional ballot affirmation statement and voting the provisional ballot in the previous election, if the person who submitted the provisional ballot in that election is determined not to be a registered voter; or i. completing and submitting an online voter registration form available on the Secretary of State's Internet website, as provided under section 1 of P.L.2019, c.382 (C.19:31-6.4c). When the commissioner has designated a place or places other than his office for receiving registrations, the commissioner shall cause to be published a notice in a newspaper circulated in the municipality wherein such place or places of registration shall be located. Such notice shall be published pursuant to R.S.19:12-7. Any office designated by the commissioner of registration for receiving registration forms shall have displayed, in a conspicuous location, registration and voting instructions. These instructions shall be the same as those provided for polling places under R.S.19:9-2 and shall be provided by the commissioner. amended 1940, c.135, s.2; 1945, c.36, s.1; 1947, c.168, s.18; 1952, c.60, s.1; 1955, c.133; 1974, c.30, s.7; 1975, c.15, s.2; 1991, c.429, s.10; 1994, c.182, s.5; 2005, c.139, s.8; 2017, c.39, s.10; 2019, c.382, s.2; 2022, c.72, s.16; 2025, c.204, s.1.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-6a Chief State election official designated, Secretary of State.

25. The Secretary of State is designated the chief State election official and shall be responsible for the coordination of this State's responsibilities pursuant to the provisions of the "National Voter Registration Act of 1993," Pub.L.103-31 (42 U.S.C. s.1973gg et seq.) and the "Help America Vote Act of 2002," Pub.L.107-252 (42 U.S.C. ss.15301 et seq.). L.1994, c.182, s.25; amended 2004, c.88, s.11; 2007, c.254, s.2.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-6.1 Acceptance of applications for registration during 20 days prior to election, ineligibility to vote.

1. Notwithstanding any other provisions of the Title to which this act is a supplement, any person authorized by law to accept applications for voter registration shall accept, during the 20-day period prior to any election, the application for registration of all eligible voters who shall personally appear for registration before such person, or the registration card mailed or delivered to such person, but no eligible voter so registered shall be entitled to vote in the election immediately following said 20-day period. Any person registered under the provisions of this act shall be advised that he will not be eligible to vote in the election immediately forthcoming but will be eligible to vote in elections held thereafter. Applications for registration pursuant to the provisions of this act shall be received at such place or places as may be designated by any duly authorized election official. L.1966,c.177,s.1; amended 1974, c.30, s.8; 2005, c.139, s.9.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-6.2 Application of other provisions to persons registered under act

Except to the extent inconsistent herewith concerning the registration of voters, all other provisions shall be applicable to persons registered under the provisions of this act. L.1966, c. 177, s. 2.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-6.3 Public agency defined; completion, submission of registration forms.

15. a. As used in this section, "public agency" shall mean: The Division of Worker's Compensation, the Division of Employment Services and the Division of Unemployment and Temporary Disability Insurance, established initially by section 5 of P.L.1948, c.446 (C.34:1A-5), in the Department of Labor and Workforce Development; The Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury, continued under section 24 of P.L.1948, c.92 (C.52:18A-24); The New Jersey Transit Corporation, established pursuant to section 4 of P.L.1979, c.150 (C.27:25-4); Any free county library established under the provisions of article 1 of chapter 33 of Title 40 of the Revised Statutes; Any regional library established under the provisions of P.L.1962, c.134 (C.40:33-13.3 et seq.); Any free public library established under the provisions of article 1 of chapter 54 of Title 40 of the Revised Statutes; Any joint free public library established under the provisions of P.L.1959, c.155 (C.40:54-29.3 et seq.); Any public institution of higher education as included under the provisions of N.J.S.18A:62-1; Any eligible institution, as defined by subsection a. of section 3 of P.L.1979, c.132 (C.18A:72B-17), that receives financial assistance, aid, or grants from State funds; Any office or commercial establishment where State licenses or permits, other than licenses or permits issued by a professional or occupational board established under the laws of this State, are available to individual members of the public; and Any recruitment office of the New Jersey National Guard. b. Any person entitled to register to vote may register as a voter in the election district in which that person resides at any time prior to the 21st day preceding any election by completing a registration form described in section 16 of P.L.1974, c.30 (C.19:31-6.4) and submitting the form to the commissioner of registration of the county wherein the person resides or alternatively, in the case of a registration form provided by the employees or agents of a public agency or a voter registration agency, as defined in subsection a. of section 26 of P.L.1994, c.182 (C.19:31-6.11), to those employees or agents or to the Attorney General. Any registration form addressed to a commissioner of registration may be mailed to or delivered to the office of that commissioner, and in the case of a registration form available at a public agency, the form shall be mailed to the Attorney General or delivered to the commissioner of registration in the county of the registrant. A registration form postmarked, stamped or otherwise marked as having been received from the registration applicant, on or before the 21st day preceding any election shall be deemed timely. L.1974,c.30,s.15; amended 1974, c.51, s.4; 1991, c.318, s.1; 1994, c.182, s.6; 2003, c.36, s.1; 2005, c.139, s.10.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-6.4 Registration forms, contents, availability; duties of officials.

16. a. The Secretary of State shall cause to be prepared and shall provide to each county commissioner of registration forms of size and weight suitable for mailing, which shall require the information required by R.S.19:31-3 in substantially the following form: VOTER REGISTRATION APPLICATION Print clearly in ink. Use ballpoint pen or marker. (1) This form is being used as: [ ] New registration [ ] Address change [ ] Name change (2) Name:..................................................... ...............Last First Middle (3) Are you a citizen of the United States of America? []Yes []No (4) Will you be 18 years of age on or before election day? []Yes [] No If you checked 'No' in response to either of these questions, do not complete this form. (5) Street Address where you live: ......................................................... Street Address Apt. No. ......................................................... (6) City or Town County Zip Code (7) Address Where You Receive Your Mail (if different from above): ............................................................ (8) Date of Birth: ...................................................... Month Day Year (9) (a) Telephone Number (optional)...................... (b) E-Mail Address (optional)..................... (10) Name and address of Your Last Voter Registration ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ (11) If you are registering by mail to vote and will be voting for the first time in your current county of residence, please provide one of the following: (a) your New Jersey driver's license number:................................ (b) the last four digits of your Social Security Number.................... OR submit with this form a copy of any one of the following documents: a current and valid photo identification card; a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, pay check or any other government or other identifying document that shows your name and current address. If you do not provide either your New Jersey driver's license number or the last four digits of your Social Security Number, or enclose a copy of one of the documents listed above, you will be asked for identification when voting for the first time, unless you are exempt from doing so under federal or State law. (12) Do you wish to declare a political party affiliation? (Optional): [] YES. Name of Party: [] NO. I do not wish to declare a political party affiliation at this time. (13) [] I wish to receive a Mail-in Ballot for all future elections, until I request otherwise in writing. (14) Declaration - I swear or affirm that: I am a U.S. citizen. I live at the above address. I will be at least 18 years old on or before the day of the next election. I am not serving a sentence of incarceration due to a conviction for an indictable offense under any federal or State laws. I UNDERSTAND THAT ANY FALSE OR FRAUDULENT REGISTRATION MAY SUBJECT ME TO A FINE OF UP TO $15,000, IMPRISONMENT UP TO FIVE YEARS, OR BOTH PURSUANT TO R.S.19:34-1. ........................................................... Signature or mark of the registrant Date (15) If applicant is unable to complete this form, print the name and address of individual who completed this form. ................................................... Name ................................................... Address In addition, the form may include notice to the applicant of information and options relating to the registration and voting process, including but not limited to notice of qualifications required of a registered voter; notice of the final day by which a person must be registered to be eligible to vote in an election; notice of the effect of a failure to provide required identification information; a place at which the applicant may indicate availability for service as a member of the district board of elections; a place at which the applicant may indicate whether he or she requires a polling place which is accessible to individuals with disabilities and the elderly or whether he or she is legally blind; a place at which the applicant may indicate a desire to receive additional information concerning voting by mail; and if the application indicates a political party affiliation, the voter is permitted to vote in the primary election of a political party other than the political party in which the voter was affiliated previously only if the voter registration form with the change of political party affiliation is filed prior to the 50th day next preceding the primary election. The form may also include a space for the voter registration agency to record whether the applicant registered in person, by mail or by other means. b. The reverse side of the registration form shall bear the address of the Secretary of State or the commissioner of registration to whom such form is supplied, and a United States postal permit the charges upon which shall be paid by the State. c. The Secretary of State shall cause to be prepared registration forms of the size, weight and form described in subsection a. of this section in both the English and Spanish language and shall provide such forms to each commissioner of registration of any county in which there is at least one election district in which bilingual sample ballots must be provided pursuant to R.S.19:14-21, R.S.19:49-4 or section 2 of P.L.1965, c.29 (C.19:23-22.4). d. The commissioner of registration shall furnish such registration forms upon request in person to any person or organization in such reasonable quantities as such person or organization shall request. The commissioner shall furnish no fewer than two such forms to any person upon request by mail or by telephone. e. Each such registration form shall have annexed thereto instructions specifying the manner and method of registration, and the vote by mail option specified on the form, and stating the qualifications for an eligible voter. f. The Secretary of State shall also furnish such registration forms and such instructions to the Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation, the Director of the Division of Employment Services, and the Director of the Division of Unemployment and Temporary Disability Insurance in the Department of Labor and Workforce Development; to the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury; to the Executive Director of the New Jersey Transit Corporation; to the appropriate administrative officer of any other public agency, as defined by subsection a. of section 15 of P.L.1974, c.30 (C.19:31-6.3); to the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs; and to the chief administrative officer of any voter registration agency, as defined in subsection a. of section 26 of P.L.1994, c.182 (C.19:31-6.11). g. All registration forms received by the Secretary of State in the mail or forwarded to the Secretary of State shall be forwarded to the commissioner of registration in the county of the registrant. Each such form, and any registration form received otherwise by a commissioner of registration, shall be forwarded to the county clerk if the vote by mail option is selected on a form. h. An application to register to vote received from the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission or a voter registration agency, as defined in subsection a. of section 26 of P.L.1994, c.182 (C.19:31-6.11), shall be deemed to have been timely made for the purpose of qualifying an eligible applicant as registered to vote in an election if the date on which the commission or agency shall have received that document in completed form, as indicated in the lower right hand corner of the form, was not later than the 21st day preceding that election. i. Each commissioner of registration shall make note in the permanent registration file of each voter who is required to provide the personal identification information required pursuant to this section, as amended, and R.S.19:15-17, R.S.19:31-5 and Pub.L.107-252 (42 U.S.C.s. 15301 et seq.), to indicate the type of identification provided by the voter and the date on which it is provided. Prior to the June 2004 primary election, when such a newly registered voter seeks to vote for the first time following his or her registration, the voter will be required to provide such personal identification information. Beginning with the June 2004 primary election, when such a newly registered voter seeks to vote for the first time following his or her registration, the voter will not be required to provide such information if he or she had previously provided the personal identification information required pursuant to this section. The required information shall be collected and stored for the time and in the manner required pursuant to regulations promulgated by the Secretary of State. j. The Secretary of State shall amend the voter registration application form if necessary to conform to the requirements of applicable federal or State law. k. In the event that the name of any political party entered on the voter registration form by a voter who wishes to declare a political party affiliation is not legible, the commissioner of registration shall mail the voter a political party declaration form and a letter explaining that the voter's choice was not understood and that the voter should complete and return the declaration form in order to be affiliated with a party. L.1974, c.30, s.16; amended 1974, c.51, s.5; 1975, c.15, s.3; 1991, c.318, s.2; 1994, c.182, s.7; 2004, c.88, s.12; 2005, c.139, s.11; 2005, c.146, s.9; 2005, c.153, s.3; 2005, c.154, s.8; 2009, c.287, s.1; 2018, c.72, s.3; 2019, c.270, s.3.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-6.4a Rules, regulations

10. The Secretary of State may promulgate, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this act. L.1991,c.318,s.10.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-6.4b Penalty

11. No State or county government employee shall be subject to any penalty, liability or disciplinary action for failure to fulfill any responsibility under the provisions of this act except if the employee engages in the fraudulent registration of a voter. L.1991,c.318,s.11.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-6.4c Electronic submission of voter registration form.

1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, a person who is qualified to register to vote may submit a voter registration form electronically on a secure Internet website maintained by the Secretary of State, if the applicant has an email address and provides a valid New Jersey driver's license number, a valid New Jersey nondriver identification card number, or the last four digits of the applicant's Social Security number. The voter registration form shall contain substantively the same information required to be contained on a paper voter registration form pursuant to section 16 of P.L.1974, c.30 (C.19:31-6.4). The voter registration form available electronically shall also enable a person who is qualified to register to vote, and a person who is registered to vote, to declare a political party affiliation and to make changes to that affiliation, with an option to indicate no affiliation with any political party, by updating the online voter registration form. Beginning on January 1, 2026 and thereafter, the voter registration form available electronically shall enable a person who is qualified to register to vote, and a person who is registered to vote, to apply for and receive a mail-in ballot as provided under section 3 of P.L.2009, c.79 (C.19:63-3), until the voter requests otherwise. a. The Secretary of State shall apply the same voter registration deadline applicable under current law for paper voter registration forms to an online voter registration form submitted by an applicant pursuant to this section. b. The applicant completing the form shall affirmatively attest to the truth of the information provided in the form. c. For voter registration purposes, the applicant shall affirmatively assent to the use of his or her signature from his or her driver's license or non-driver identification card or the applicant's digitized or electronic signature. d. For each online voter registration form, the Secretary of State shall obtain either an electronic copy of the applicant's signature from his or her driver's license or non-driver identification card directly from the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, or the applicant's digitized or electronic signature. e. Upon submission of an online voter registration form pursuant to this section, the electronic voter registration system shall automatically acknowledge that the online voter registration form has been submitted successfully, and provide instructions on how the person completing the voter registration form may follow-up on the status of the submission either online or by contacting the appropriate county commissioner of registration. If a person submits more than one online voter registration form with identical information, the county commissioner of registration of the county in which the voter resides may process and adjudicate only the first online voter registration form submitted by the person through the system. f. The Secretary of State shall employ security measures to ensure the accuracy and integrity of voter registration forms submitted electronically pursuant to this section. g. The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and the Secretary of State shall jointly develop a process and the infrastructure to allow the electronic copy of the applicant's signature and other information required under this section that is in the possession of the commission to be transferred to the Secretary of State and to the appropriate county election officials to allow a person who is qualified to register to vote in New Jersey to register to vote under this section. h. If an applicant cannot electronically submit the information required pursuant to this section, the applicant shall nevertheless be able to complete the online voter registration form electronically on the Secretary of State's Internet website, print a paper copy of the completed form, and mail or deliver the paper copy of the completed form to the Secretary of State or the appropriate county election official. For the purposes of this subsection, the applicant shall be required to provide the same documents required to be provided with a paper voter registration form pursuant to R.S.19:31-5. L.2019, c.382, s.1; amended 2022, c.67, s.7.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-6.4d Voter registration Internet website.

6. a. For the purpose of facilitating online voter registration as quickly and efficiently as possible, the State shall procure a qualified vendor to develop and implement a voter registration Internet website and all necessary supporting software systems to implement online voter registration ahead of the 2020 general election. b. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, a contract for the implementation of the online voter registration Internet website and necessary supporting software systems shall be procured in an expedited process and in the manner provided by this section. c. The Division of Purchase and Property in the Department of the Treasury shall procure, without the need for formal advertisement, but through the solicitation of proposals from professional services vendors, a qualified vendor with experience implementing such websites and systems in other states. d. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, for the purpose of expediting the procurement of a vendor capable and experienced in implementing an online voter registration website and systems, the following provisions shall apply as modifications to any law or regulation that may interfere with the expedited procurement: (1) the timeframes for challenging the specifications shall be modified as determined by the Division of Purchase and Property; (2) in lieu of advertising in accordance with section 7 of P.L.1954, c.48 (C.52:34-12), the division shall advertise the request for proposals for the procurement under this section and any addenda thereto on the division's website; (3) the period of time that the State Comptroller, if applicable, has to review the request for proposals for the procurement under this section for compliance with applicable public contracting laws, rules, and regulations, pursuant to section 10 of P.L.2007, c.52 (C.52:15C-10), shall be 10 business days or less, if practicable, as determined by the State Comptroller; (4) the timeframes for submission under section 4 of P.L.2012, c.25 (C.52:32-58) and section 1 of P.L.1977, c.33 (C.52:25-24.2) shall be extended to prior to the issuance of a Notice of Intent to Award; (5) the provisions of section 1 of P.L.2005, c.92 (C.52:34-13.2) shall not apply to technical and support services under this section provided by a vendor using a "24/7 follow-the-sun model" as long as the contractor is able to provide such services in the United States during the business day; and (6) the term "bids" in subparagraph (f) of subsection a. of section 7 of P.L.1954, c.48 (C.52:34-12) shall not include pricing which will be revealed to all responsive bidders during the negotiation process. e. The division may, to the extent necessary, waive or modify any requirement under any other law or regulation that may interfere with the expeditious procurement required under this section. L.2019, c.382, s.6.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-6.5 Acceptance of registration, commissioner's duties.

17. a. Upon receipt of any completed registration form, the commissioner of registration shall review it, and, if it is found to be in order, shall: (1) Send to the registrant written notification that such registrant is duly registered to vote. No registrant shall be considered a registered voter until the commissioner of registration reviews the application submitted by the registrant and deems it acceptable. On the face of such notification in the upper left-hand corner shall be printed the words: "Do Not Forward. Return Postage Guaranteed. If not delivered in 2 days, return to the Commissioner of Registration." (2) In as timely a manner as possible, enter the information provided for the registrant on the completed registration form, or electronically transfer the information from an online voter registration form completed pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2019, c.382 (C.19:31-6.4c) or received electronically from the Motor Vehicle Commission pursuant to section 24 of P.L.1994, c.182 (C.39:2-3.2), into the Statewide voter registration system established pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2005, c.145 (C.19:31-31). (3) Paste, tape, or photocopy the completed registration form onto an original registration form and shall paste or tape a copy of such completed registration form onto a duplicate registration form, both of which shall be filed as provided in R.S.19:31-10. Nothing in this paragraph shall preclude any commissioner of registration from keeping the original mail registration form on file. (4) In the case of a registrant currently registered in another county of this State, notify the commissioner of registration of such other county to remove the individual's name from the registry list of voters of the county and place into an appropriate retention file all registration documents or material relating to that voter. The commissioner of registration of the current county of the registrant shall secure and maintain the entire voting history of that registrant. b. The commissioner shall notify a registrant of the reasons for any refusal to approve his registration. c. (Deleted by amendment, P.L.1994, c.182) L.1974, c.30, s.17; amended 1974, c.51, s.6; 1976, c.49; 1994, c.182, s.8; 2005, c.145, s.10; 2019, c.382, s.3; 2025, c.204, s.2.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-6.6 Prevention of fraudulent registration and voting; procedures

For the purpose of preventing fraudulent registration and voting, the commissioner of registration in counties having a superintendent of elections, and the county board in all other counties, may, at any time deemed necessary, utilize the procedures set forth by R.S. 19:31-15 and by R.S. 19:32-5. L.1974, c. 30, s. 18.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-6.7 Presidential election; door-to-door canvassing

19. a. On December 31 of every year in which a Presidential Election has been held, each county may certify to the Secretary of State the number of newly registered voters who have been registered by door-to-door canvassing and registration, if any, during that calendar year. The funds provided pursuant to subsection c. of this section shall be allocated by the Secretary of State to each county wherein such canvassing and registration has been conducted in the same proportion as the number of voters newly registered by door-to-door canvassing in each such county is to the total number of voters newly registered by door-to-door canvassing in all such counties throughout the State. b. Plans for any door-to-door canvassing and registration may be included in the plan, if any, for mobile registration for the general election submitted pursuant to R.S.19:31-2. c. (Deleted by amendment, P.L.1994, c.182.) L.1974,c.30,s.19; amended 1994,c.182,s.9.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-6.8 Amount of reimbursement of counties for new registrants

The Secretary of State shall each year reimburse the counties $0.50 per new registrant, whether the registration was by mail or in person. L.1974, c. 30, s. 20. Amended by L.1974, c. 51, s. 7, eff. June 25, 1974.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-6.9 Rules and regulations

To effectuate the purposes of this act and in addition to any other powers and duties provided in or by this act, the Secretary of State may promulgate such rules as may be necessary, including rules delineating which defects if any in partially completed voter registration forms may be cured and the manner in which such defects if any may be cured, all of which shall have the force of law. L.1974, c. 30, s. 21. Amended by L.1975, c. 15, s. 4, eff. Feb. 14, 1975.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-6.10 Severability

If any section, subsection, paragraph, sentence or other part of this act is adjudged unconstitutional or invalid, such judgment shall not affect, impair or invalidate the remainder of this act, but shall be confined in its effect to the section, subsection, paragraph, sentence or other part of this act directly involved in the controversy in which said judgment shall have been rendered. L.1974, c. 30, s. 22.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-6.11 Voter registration agency defined; declination forms, contents.

26. a. As used in this section, "voter registration agency" means: Any agency or office serving as a food stamp issuer, pursuant to P.L.1988, c.79 (C.44:8-153 et seq.) and the "Food Stamp Act of 1977," Pub.L.95-113 (7 U.S.C. s.2011 et seq.); Any agency or office providing or administering assistance under the "New Jersey Medical Assistance and Health Services Program," pursuant to P.L.1968, c.413 (C.30:4D-1 et seq.) and 42 U.S.C. s.1395 et seq.; Any agency or office distributing food pursuant to the special supplemental food program for women, infants and children (WIC), established pursuant to P.L.1987, c.261 (C.26:1A-36.1 et seq.) and Pub.L. 95-267 (42 U.S.C. s.1786); Any agency or office administering assistance under the Work First New Jersey program established pursuant to P.L.1997, c.38 (C.44:10-55 et seq.); Any public office of the Division of Developmental Disabilities, established pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1985, c.145 (C.30:6D-24), in the Department of Human Services; Any public office of the Office of Disability Services, established pursuant to section 3 of P.L.1999, c.91 (C.30:6E-3), in the Department of Human Services; Any recruitment office of the Armed Forces of the United States, subject to any agreement between this State and the Secretary of Defense of the United States for the joint development and implementation, as provided under subsection (c) of section 7 of Pub.L.103-31 (42 U.S.C. s. 1973gg-6), of procedures for applying at those offices to register to vote; Any office of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services of the New Jersey Department of Labor; Any office of the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired of the New Jersey Department of Human Services; Any county welfare agency or county board of social services established pursuant to the provisions of chapter 1 or chapter 4 of Title 44 of the Revised Statutes; The office of the commissioner of registration in the several counties of this State; and Any office of the municipal clerk in the several municipalities of this State. b. With each voter registration form and instructions provided to the chief administrative officer at each voter registration agency under subsections e. and f. of section 16 of P.L.1974, c.30 (C.19:31-6.4), the Secretary of State shall provide at the same time a declination form that includes: (1) the question: "If you are not registered to vote where you live now, would you like to apply to register to vote here today?"; (2) the statement: "Applying to register or declining to register to vote will not affect the amount of assistance that you will be provided by this agency."; (3) boxes for the applicant to check to indicate whether the applicant would or would not like to register to vote, together with the statement "IF YOU DO NOT CHECK EITHER BOX, YOU WILL BE CONSIDERED TO HAVE DECIDED NOT TO REGISTER TO VOTE AT THIS TIME."; (4) the statement: "If you would like help in filling out the voter registration application form, we will help you. The decision to seek or accept help is yours. You may fill out the application form in private."; (5) the statement: "If you believe that someone has interfered with your right to register or to decline to register to vote, your right to privacy in deciding whether to register or in applying to register to vote, or your right to choose your own political party or other political preference, you may file a complaint with the Secretary of State." (insert address and current telephone number); and (6) the statement: IF YOU DECLINE TO REGISTER TO VOTE AT THIS TIME, YOUR DECISION WILL REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL AND WILL BE USED ONLY FOR VOTER REGISTRATION PURPOSES. IF YOU DO REGISTER TO VOTE, THE WAY IN WHICH YOU DO SO WILL REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL AND WILL BE USED ONLY FOR VOTER REGISTRATION PURPOSES. c. The Secretary of State shall cause to be prepared declination forms in the form provided for by subsection b. of this section in both the English and Spanish languages and shall provide such forms to the chief administrative officer of each voter registration agency which has an office in any county in which there is at least one election district in which bilingual sample ballots must be provided pursuant to R.S.19:14-21, R.S.19:49-4 or section 2 of P.L.1965, c.29 (C.19:23-22.4). d. The Secretary of State shall adopt, pursuant to consultation with the chief administrative officers at voter registration agencies, regulations for the prompt return of the completed voter registration forms, but in no case shall the forms be returned later than the fifth day following the date on which the completed forms are received by the voter registration agencies. e. All registration forms received by the Secretary of State in the mail or forwarded to the Secretary of State by employees or agents of the voter registration agencies shall be forwarded to the commissioner of registration in the county of the registrant. f. Each completed declination form received by a voter registration agency shall be kept confidential for a period of at least two years. The Secretary of State shall determine, pursuant to consultation with the chief administrative officers at voter registration agencies, which office or agency shall retain the declination forms. L.1994,c.182,s.26; amended 1999, c.91, s.10.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-6.12 Registration of persons in armed forces

20. The Secretary of State is authorized, on behalf of this State, to enter into and to carry out an agreement with the Secretary of Defense of the United States for joint development and implementation of procedures for persons to apply at recruitment offices of the Armed Forces of the United States to register as voters of this State. The terms of the agreement with respect to the implementation of those procedures shall conform as nearly as possible to the provisions for the implementation of such procedures at each agency or office providing or administering assistance under the "New Jersey Medical Assistance and Health Services Program" pursuant to the provisions of section 28 of P.L.1994, c.182 (C.30:4D-19.1). L.1994,c.182,s.20.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-6.13 Commissioners of registration, registration assistance

34. The commissioner of registration in each of the several counties shall make available at the office of the commissioner to each person appearing in person thereat to apply for services or assistance provided thereby the assistance in registration prescribed by paragraph (4) of subsection (a) of section 7 of Pub.L.103-31 (42 U.S.C. s. 1973gg-5). Any person providing such assistance in registration shall be subject to the restrictions of paragraph (5) of that subsection. L.1994,c.182,s.34.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-6.14 Procedures for automatic voter registration through State agencies which collect documents.

4. a. Any State agency, except for the Motor Vehicle Commission, that the Secretary of State verifies already collects sufficient information, including through documents or database verification, that would provide proof of eligibility, including age, citizenship, and residence address, may establish and implement, upon approval by the Secretary of State, a procedure for automatically and electronically transmitting voter registration information to the Secretary of State of persons who are eligible to vote for the purpose of registering such persons to vote or updating their voter registration. Each person from whom such information is collected shall be offered an opportunity to decline automatic voter registration. Any such agency and each county commissioner of registration shall comply with the requirements to the extent applicable as determined by the Secretary of State, as established in subsections b. through d. of section 24 of P.L.1994, c.182 (C.39:2-3.2). b. Subject to compliance with all applicable federal and State laws, rules, directives, and regulations, the Department of Corrections, the Secretary of State, and the Motor Vehicle Commission shall coordinate to ensure that eligible individuals scheduled to be released from incarceration imposed as a sentence for a crime and who are provided a non-driver identification card in anticipation of release pursuant to section 2 of P.L.2020, c.45 (C.30:1B-6.15) are also provided voter registration opportunities pursuant to section 24 of P.L.1994, c.182 (C.39:2-3.2) as part of the application for such non-driver identification card. An otherwise eligible individual shall not be processed for voter registration pursuant to this section unless the individual has identified a place of residence within the State where the individual will reside following the individual’s release from incarceration. An otherwise eligible individual shall not be registered to vote pursuant to this section until the person’s release from incarceration imposed as a sentence for a crime, and the notices and procedures required by section 24 of P.L. 1994, c.182 (C.39:2-3.2) may be modified by the Secretary of State to allow for processing of registration information from an otherwise eligible person and to reflect that an otherwise eligible person shall not be registered to vote until the person’s release from incarceration imposed as a sentence for a crime. In processing information received pursuant to this section, the Department of Corrections, the Chief Administrator of the Motor Vehicle Commission, and each county commissioner of registration shall comply with the requirements established in section 24 of P.L.1994, c.182 (C.39:2-3.2), to the extent applicable as determined by the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State, the Department of Corrections, and the county commissioners of registration shall coordinate to ensure that no person is registered to vote pursuant to this subsection until the person has been released from incarceration imposed as a sentence for a crime. c. Any additional agencies that are designated for automatic voter registration pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall comply with the requirements, to the extent applicable as determined by the Secretary of State, as established in section 24 of P.L.1994, c.182 (C.39:2-3.2) for automatic voter registration and shall provide the notices required pursuant to subsection b. through d. of that section to each person from whom such information is collected. L.2018, c.6, s.4; amended 2025, c.204, s.3.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-7 Registration by municipal clerks.

19:31-7. For the convenience of the voters the respective municipal clerks or their duly authorized clerk or clerks in all municipalities shall also be empowered to register applicants for permanent registration up to and including the 21st day preceding any election and after any such election in the manner indicated above, subject to such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the commissioner, in counties having a superintendent of elections, and the county board in all other counties. Duly authorized clerk as used in this section shall mean a clerk who resides within the municipality and has been approved by the commissioner or the county board as the case may be. For this purpose the commissioner shall forward to each municipal clerk a sufficient supply of registration forms. The commissioners shall keep a record of the serial numbers of these forms and shall periodically make such checks as are necessary to accurately determine if all such forms are satisfactorily accounted for. Each municipal clerk shall transmit daily to the commissioner all of the filled out registration forms that he may have in his office at the time. Amended 1940, c.135, s.3; 1945, c.36, s.2; 1952, c.60, s.2; 1956, c.28; 1966, c.83; 1967, c.73, s.2; 1974, c.30, s.9; 1994, c.170, s.3; 2005, c.139, s.12.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-7.1 Municipal clerks, registration assistance

35. The municipal clerk in each of the several municipalities of this State shall make available at the office of the clerk to each person appearing in person thereat to apply for services or assistance provided thereby the assistance in registration prescribed by paragraph (4) of subsection (a) of section 7 of Pub.L. 103-31 (42 U.S.C. s. 1973gg-5). Any person providing such assistance in registration shall be subject to the restrictions of paragraph (5) of that subsection. L.1994,c.182,s.35.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-10 Filing of registration forms

19:31-10. The original and duplicate registration forms when filled out shall be filed alphabetically by districts at the office of the commissioner in separate sets of locked binders, one for the permanent office record and the other for use in the polling places on election days. Each set of the locked binders of original and duplicate registration forms shall consist of two volumes for each election district to be known as volume I and volume II. Volume I shall contain an index alphabetically arranged beginning with the letter "A" and ending with the letter "K", and volume II shall contain a similar index beginning with the letter "L" and ending with the letter "Z". In filing the forms there shall be inserted after the original and duplicate registration forms of each registrant a record of voting form with the corresponding serial number and the name and address of the registrant thereon. The binders containing the duplicate registration forms and the corresponding record of voting forms shall constitute and be known as the signature copy registers. The original registration forms shall not be open to public inspection except during such period as the duplicate registration forms are in process of delivery to or from the district boards or in the possession of such district boards. The original registration forms shall not be removed from the office of the commissioner except upon the order of a court of competent jurisdiction. The signature copy registers shall at all times, except during the time as above provided and subject to reasonable rules and regulations be open to public inspection. Amended 1994,c.182,s.10.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-10.1 Maintenance of original, updated voter registration forms.

1. The commissioner of registration may eliminate use of original permanent registration binders, as provided for in R.S.19:31-10, and may maintain in a permanent and separate file the original completed voter registration form of each voter, and any new or amended forms filed by that voter. L.1994,c.170,s.1; amended 2005, c.145, s.11.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-11 Change of residence notice.

19:31-11. a. In all counties within the State, change of residence notices shall be made: (1) by a written request, signed by the registrant, forwarded to the commissioner by mail, and actually received by the commissioner; (2) by calling in person at the office of the commissioner or the municipal clerk; or (3) by completing and submitting a change of residence notice online as provided by the Secretary of State. Change of residence information shall also be received from the Motor Vehicle Commission and processed pursuant to subsection d. of section 24 of P.L.1994, c.182 (C.39:2-3.2) and from any State agency that has implemented procedures pursuant to section 4 of P.L.2018, c.6 (C.19:31-6.14). The commissioner shall provide change of residence notices in card form for the use of any registered voter moving to another address within the same election district, to another election district within the same county, or to another election district in another county for processing as provided under subsection c. of this section. Copies of these notices shall also be available at the office of the municipal clerk in each municipality. Each municipal clerk shall transmit daily to the commissioner all the filled out change of residence notices that may be in the municipal clerk's office at the time. These notices shall be printed upon cards, shall contain a blank form showing where the applicant last resided and the address and exact location to which the applicant has moved, and shall have a line for the applicant's signature, printed name, and date of birth. Upon receipt of such change of residence notice, the commissioner shall cause the signature to be compared with the registration forms of the applicant and, if such signature appears to be of and by one and the same legal voter, the commissioner shall cause the entry of the change of residence to be made on those registration forms and the registrant shall thereupon be qualified to vote in the election district to which the registrant shall have so moved. If the commissioner is not satisfied as to the signature on the request for a change of residence, a confirmation notice as prescribed by subsection d. of R.S.19:31-15 shall be sent by mail with postage prepaid to the registrant at the new address. The application for change of residence shall be filed with the commissioner or municipal clerk, as the case may be, on or before the 21st day preceding any election. b. In any county, any voter who, prior to an election, shall move within the same county after the time above prescribed for filing an application for change of residence without having made application for change of residence, or who has not returned a confirmation notice sent to the voter by the commissioner of registration of the county, if such a notice has been sent to the voter, or who has not moved since the previous election but whose registration information is missing or otherwise deficient, or has otherwise failed to notify the commissioner of registration of the voter's change of address within the county, shall be permitted to vote in that election in the district to which the voter has moved upon making a written affirmation regarding the change of address at the polling place of the district in which the voter resides on the day of the election. No identifying document shall be required from the voter for this affirmation. A district board member shall provide the voter with a provisional ballot and an envelope with an affirmation statement that conforms with the requirements for such documents contained in subsection b. of section 7 of P.L.1999, c.232 (C.19:53C-1). The voter shall complete the provisional ballot and affirmation statement, place the ballot in the envelope, and seal and return it to the district board member. The board member shall review the information in the affirmation statement for completeness before forwarding it for inspection, tabulation, and notation by the county board of elections, as provided for by sections 7 through 26 of P.L.1999, c.232 (C.19:53C-1 through C.19:53C-20). The affirmation statement shall constitute a transfer to the registrant's new residence for any subsequent election. However, if the voter has moved from one residence to another within the same election district at any time, the voter shall be permitted to vote in such election district at any election in the same manner as other voters at the polling place upon written affirmation by the registrant to the district board member of the registrant's change of address. c. A voter who moves from an election district in one county to an election district in another county prior to the close of registration preceding an election shall register in the new county of residence, in accordance with the provisions of R.S.19:31-6, or shall file a change of residence notice with the commissioner of either county or complete and submit that notice online as provided by the Secretary of State, or shall have their registration updated pursuant to subsection d. of section 24 of P.L.1994, c.182 (C.39:2-3.2) or by any State agency that has implemented procedures pursuant to section 4 of P.L.2018, c.6 (C.19:31-6.14) , in order to be permitted to vote. A change of residence notice filed by a voter pursuant to this subsection shall cause the commissioners of the county of previous residence and the county of new residence to update the voter registration record of that voter. The commissioner of the county of new residence shall notify the voter by mail that the voter is now registered to vote in that county or, if the notice submitted by the voter is incomplete, to request any additional information or documentation necessary to finalize the change of residence notice. Nothing in this subsection shall be interpreted to waive the requirement specified under R.S.19:31-5 that the voter shall have been a resident of the county of new residence for at least 30 days prior to being eligible to vote in any election in that county. Amended 1940, c.135, s.4; 1941, c.165; 1944, c.251; 1945, c.75; 1946, c.149; 1974, c.30, s.10; 1974, c.51, s.3; 1977, c.89; 1994, c.182, s.11; 1999, c.232, s.3; 2005, c.139, s.13; 2022, c.67, s.12; 2025, c.204, s.4.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-11a Secretary of State, website, electronic form submission, change of residence, name notice.

14. The Secretary of State shall develop and make available on its website a form to allow a registered voter to electronically complete a change of residence notice, change of name notice, or both, and to electronically submit that form to the appropriate county commissioner of registration. If the voter is reporting a change of residence from one county to another, the form shall be submitted to both the commissioner of the previous county of residence and the new county of residence. The form shall contain substantively the same information required to be submitted by a registered voter on a paper version of a change of residence and change of name form pursuant to R.S.19:31-11 and R.S.19:31-13. The form shall contain any additional information deemed necessary by the secretary. L.2022, c.67, s.14.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-12 Errors in registration corrected

When by error an eligible voter has been registered in a district other than the one in which he resides the commissioner shall cause the error to be corrected, of which correction the registrant shall be notified by postal card.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-13 Change in registration due to name change.

19:31-13. Whenever the registrant after his or her original registration shall change his or her name due to marriage, divorce, or by judgment of court, the registrant shall in person or by mail submit to the commissioner of registration a written statement notifying the commissioner of the change, which statement shall take such form, and be printed on a postal card suitable for mailing of such design, as the Attorney General shall prescribe and shall be signed by the registrant. A registrant may complete the form online as provided by the Secretary of State. Change of name information shall also be received from the Motor Vehicle Commission and processed pursuant to subsection d. of section 24 of P.L.1994, c.182 (C.39:2-3.2) and from any State agency that has implemented procedures pursuant to section 4 of P.L.2018, c.6 (C.19:31-6.14). The commissioner, upon receipt of such a notice of change of name, shall revise accordingly the name of the registrant as it appears among the items of information concerning the registrant included on the registrant's registration forms, shall make a photographic copy of the notice of name change submitted by the registrant, and shall affix the original notice so submitted to the registrant's original registration form and the photographic copy of that notice to the registrant's duplicate registration record. When notice of such change in name has not been received by or filed with the commissioner prior to the 21st day preceding any election, such person may be permitted to vote under the name under which the person was registered prior to that change at the first election following such change in name at which the person shall appear to vote after signing the signature copy register with both the registered name and his or her new name. The commissioner shall then revise accordingly the name of the registrant as it appears on the registrant's registration forms, make a photographic copy of the notice, and affix the original and copy of the notice to the registrant's permanent registration forms as hereinabove prescribed. Amended 1945, c.117; 1953, c.19, s.44; 1960, c.139; 1974, c.30, s.11; 1994, c.182, s.12; 2005, c.139, s.14; 2022, c.67, s.13; 2025, c.204, s.5.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-13.1 Previous registration in another county; notice; transfer to inactive file

When a person appears to register in any county of this State, and in answer to the statement on the registration forms, to wit: "Municipality, house number and street address from which last registered," such person gives information as to previous registration in another county of this State, the commissioner of registration of the county in which such person newly registers shall forthwith notify the commissioner of registration of the county in which such person was last registered, by postal card signed by the registrant, of the new registration, upon receipt of which information the said commissioner shall transfer the registration forms of such person to the inactive file without any publication thereof being required. L.1947, c. 414, p. 1288, s. 1.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-13.2 Eligibility to vote in primary after change of declaration if 50 days before primary.

4. If, when submitting a voter registration form for any reason, a registrant declares thereon his or her political party affiliation and in so doing declares an affiliation with a political party other than the political party with which that person was affiliated previously, the registrant shall be ineligible to vote in the next succeeding primary election unless he or she has made the declaration of affiliation with the political party specified in the latest voter registration form no later than the 50th day next preceding such primary election. L.2005,c.153,s.4.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-14 New or altered districts; notice to registrants and to commissioner; registrations not invalidated

When a new district has been created or the boundaries of any district have been changed, the commissioner shall transfer the permanent registration forms of registered voters whose voting districts have been changed, of which change the registrant may be notified by postal card. Within ten days after the creation of any such new district, the commissioner of registration shall notify the Secretary of State of such fact. The registration of a voter shall not be invalidated by such alteration nor shall the right of any registered voter to vote be prejudiced by any error in making the transfers of the registration forms. Amended by L.1947, c. 277, p. 982, s. 1.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-15 Removal of name from Statewide voter registration system; change of residence; confirmation.

19:31-15. a. Upon receipt by the commissioner of registration of a county from a registered voter of that county of a request that the name of the registrant be removed from the Statewide voter registration system, the commissioner shall so remove the registrant's name. Notice by a registered voter to the commissioner of registration of a county that the registrant has ceased to reside in the State shall, for the purposes of this subsection, be deemed a request for removal of the registrant's name from the Statewide voter registration system. b. The commissioner of registration of any county may agree with the United States Postal Service or its licensee to receive information provided by the Postal Service concerning the change by any Postal Service customer of that customer's address within the county. If it appears from information so received that a Postal Service customer registered to vote in the county has moved to a different address, then (1) if that address is within the county, the commissioner shall cause the registration records of the registrant to be corrected accordingly and shall transmit to the resident by forwardable mail a notice of the change and a postage prepaid, pre-addressed return form by which the registrant may verify or correct the address information, or (2) if that address is not within the county, the commissioner shall undertake the confirmation notice procedure prescribed under subsection d. of this section to confirm the change of address. c. The commissioner of registration of a county shall cause the name of a registrant to be removed from the Statewide voter registration system if the registrant (1) confirms in writing, by return of a confirmation notice as prescribed under subsection d. of this section or by other means, that the registrant has changed residence to a place outside the State, or (2) has either not notified the commissioner or failed to respond to a confirmation notice as so prescribed and has not, in any election during the period beginning on the date on which the commissioner sends the confirmation notice to the registrant and ending on the day after the second general election for federal office following that date on which the notice is sent, (a) voted, or (b) appeared to vote in any county and, if necessary, correct the official record of the registrant's address. Other than as provided under subsection a. of this section, the name of a registrant shall not be removed from the Statewide voter registration system on the ground that the registrant has changed residence except as provided by this subsection. d. A confirmation notice sent to ascertain whether a registrant continues to reside at the address from which that registrant is registered to vote shall be a postage prepaid and pre-addressed return card, sent by forwardable mail, which shall include: (1) space on which the registrant's current address may be entered; (2) the statement "To any voter who continues to reside at the residence address to which this notice is addressed or who no longer resides at that residence address but continues to reside in.................. (name of county): please mail or personally deliver this postage prepaid card to the commissioner of registration to whom it is addressed not later than................. (calendar date of the 21st day preceding the next election to be held in the county). If you do not return this card by that date, then at any election held subsequent to that date and on or before................. (calendar date of the day after the second general election for federal office following that date), you may be required at the polls to affirm or confirm your address before you are permitted to vote, and if you do not vote in an election during that period, your name will be removed from the registry of eligible voters."; and (3) a statement, the text of which shall be prescribed by the Attorney General, setting forth the means by which a registrant who has changed residence to a county different from that in which is located the residence to which the notice was originally addressed may retain the right to vote. e. The commissioner of registration shall correct the registry list of eligible voters in accordance with change of residence information obtained in conformity with the provisions of this section. Amended 1940, c.155; 1941, c.273, s.2; 1945, c.18; 1947, c.168, s.19; 1952, c.292; 1953, c.206; 1991, c.91, s.249; 1994, c.182, s.13; 2005, c.139, s.15; 2005, c.145, s.12.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-16 Data on eligible voters' deaths filed by health officer.

19:31-16. a. (1) Except as prescribed in paragraph (2) of this subsection, the health officer or other officer in charge of records of death in each municipality shall file with the commissioner of registration for the county in which the municipality is located once each month, during the first five days thereof, the age, date of death, and the names and addresses of all persons 18 years of age or older who have died within such municipality during the previous month. Within 30 days after the receipt of such list, the commissioner shall make and complete such investigation as is necessary to establish to his satisfaction that such deceased person is registered as a voter in the county. If such fact is so established, the commissioner shall cause the registration and record of voting forms of the deceased registrant to be transferred to the death file as soon as possible. If the deceased person was not so registered in the county, but the person maintained a residence in another county of this State, the officer in charge of records of death in the municipality in which the decedent died shall forward a copy of the notice of death to the officer in charge of records of death in the municipality in which the decedent resided. That officer having received the notice shall notify the commissioner of the county in which that municipality is located of the death of the person. Any commissioner who receives such notification shall undertake the procedures prescribed herein with respect to the registration in that county of the decedent. (2) During the two months immediately preceding a primary or general election, the health officer or other officer in charge of records of death in each municipality shall file with the commissioner of registration for the county in which the municipality is located once every two weeks, during the first three days thereof, the age, date of death, and the names and addresses of all persons 18 years of age or older who died within such municipality during the previous two weeks. Within 10 days after the receipt of such list, the commissioner shall undertake the procedures prescribed pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection. b. The State registrar of vital statistics shall file with the commissioner of registration of each county no later than May 1 of each year an alphabetized list of the name, address, and date of birth, if available, of each resident of the county 18 years of age or older who died during the previous year. Within 30 days after the receipt of the list the commissioner shall undertake and complete such investigation as is necessary to establish that each person on the list is not registered as a voter in the county. The commissioner shall cause the registration and record of voting forms of any deceased registrant found on the list to be transferred to the death file as soon as possible. Amended 1947, c.168, s.20; 1994, c.182, s.14; 1999, c.232, s.31; s.34; 2005, c.136, s.43; 2007, c.61, s.14; 2011, c.134, s.40; 2022, c.71, s.1.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-16.1 Failure to furnish information on deaths, third degree crime.

32. a. Any State, county or municipal officer in charge of the records of death for the State, or a county or municipality thereof, who knowingly and willfully neglects, fails or refuses to prepare for or to file with the commissioner of registration of each county information regarding any resident of the county 18 years of age or older who died during the previous year, pursuant to R.S.19:31-16 as amended, or who died during the 40-year period prior to the enactment of P.L.1999, c.232, or who knowingly and willfully prepares or files such information about any resident of the county 18 years of age or older who died that is false, erroneous or incomplete, is guilty of a crime of the third degree. b. Any election official who knowingly and willfully neglects, fails or refuses to accept any information from a State, county or municipal officer in charge of the records of death for the State, or a county or municipality thereof, regarding any resident of the county 18 years of age or older who died during the previous year, as provided for by R.S.19:31-16 as amended, or who died during the 40-year period prior to the enactment of P.L.1999, c.232, or who knowingly and willfully neglects, fails, or refuses to conduct the investigation and transfer of the registration and records of any deceased registrant to the death file pursuant to R.S.19:31-16 as amended, is guilty of a crime of the third degree. As used in this subsection, "election official" shall include, but not be limited to, any superintendent or deputy superintendent of elections, commissioner of registration, or member or employee of a county board of elections. L.1999, c.232, s.32.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-16.2 Provision of list of eligible voters' deaths to chairman of county committee

33. a. Notwithstanding any law, rule or regulation to the contrary, the State registrar of vital statistics shall provide to the chairman of the county committee of a political party, or the designee thereof, upon the request of the chairman or the chairman's designee, a copy of the alphabetized list of the name, address and date of birth, if available, of each resident of the county 18 years of age or older who died during the previous year, as provided for by R.S.19:31-16 as amended, and a copy of the alphabetized list of the name, address, and date of birth, if available, of each resident of the county 18 years of age or older who died during the 40-year period prior to the enactment of P.L.1999, c.232, as provided for by that act. b. The chairman of the county committee of a political party shall have the authority to inquire whether the commissioner of registration of the county in which the chairman resides is conducting or has conducted the investigations and transfers of the registration and records of deceased registrants, in compliance with R.S.19:31-16 as amended. In the event that the chairman finds the commissioner of registration is not complying, in the chairman's opinion, with R.S.19:31-16 as amended, the chairman shall report this finding to the Attorney General for further investigation or action, if deemed necessary. L.1999,c.232,s.33.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-17 Incarceration data; use.

19:31-17. a. Once each month during the first five days thereof, the chief State election official shall notify the commissioner of registration of a county of any information which the official shall have received during the previous month from the United States Attorney under subsection g. of section 8 of Pub.L. 103-31 (42 U.S.C. s. 1973gg-6) concerning the conviction of a resident of the county of a crime under the laws of the United States, or any other official action relating to such a conviction, that would constitute grounds for disfranchisement of the person while serving a sentence of incarceration under the laws of this State. b. Once each month during the first five days thereof the prosecutor of the county shall deliver to the commissioner a list of the names and addresses of all persons and their ages and offenses who have been convicted during the previous month of a crime which would disfranchise them while serving a sentence of incarceration under the laws of this State, including therewith the date upon which judgment of conviction was entered against the person, and also including a statement of any sentence of incarceration imposed by the court during the month upon any person so convicted during that month or any previous month; provided, however, if the address of the person so convicted is located in a county other than the county in which the conviction was obtained the said prosecutor shall mail a report of such conviction to the proper election official of the county in which the address of such person is located. c. Upon the receipt of the notice prescribed under subsection a. of this section or the list prescribed under subsection b. hereof, the commissioner shall make such investigation as is necessary to establish to his satisfaction that the convicted person who was sentenced to a period of incarceration is registered to vote in the county. If it is so established, the commissioner shall cause the registration and record of voting forms of such convicted and sentenced registrant to be transferred to the conviction and incarceration file. In the event the person so convicted and incarcerated is not registered at the time the list or report is received, the commissioner shall cause an index card to be made out and inserted in its proper place in the master index file bearing the information received from the State election official or a county prosecutor, and the person so convicted and incarcerated shall be denied the right to register while serving a sentence of incarceration. Such persons upon the restoration of their citizenship rights or upon being pardoned shall be required to register or reregister before being allowed to vote. amended 1947, c.168, s.21; 1950, c.37; 1994, c.182, s.15; 2019, c.270, s.4.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-18 Registry lists; distribution; contents.

19:31-18. On or before the eighth day preceding any general election the commissioner shall certify and transmit to the county clerk a complete list of all persons who are registered in each election district in each municipality in the county together with a statement as to the number of persons registered in each district. The list of registered voters shall include only the following information for each registered voter: name, address, date of birth, political party affiliation, and voting history. Except when so ordered by a court, the list of registered voters shall not include voter signatures. The list shall be drawn from the Statewide voter registration system, established pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2005, c.145 (C.19:31-31). It shall in figures state the total number of names of persons registered. Such lists shall be arranged substantially in the following form: Grand Street Residence number Name of voter or other designation 14 Jones, Charles M. 15 Smith, John M. Amended 1947, c.347, s.1; 1974, c.30, s.18; 1976, c.22; 2005, c.139, s.16; 2005, c.145, s.13.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-18.1 Registry lists; distribution; availability, use.

2. a. The county clerk in all counties shall cause copies of the registry lists, certified and transmitted under R.S.19:31-18, to be printed, and shall furnish to any voter applying for the same such copies, charging therefor $0.25 per copy of the list of voters of each election district. The clerk shall also furnish five printed copies thereof to each district board, which shall within two days post two such registry lists, one in the polling place and one in another conspicuous place within the election district. The county clerk shall also forthwith deliver to the superintendent of elections of the county, if any there be, and to the chairmen of the county committees of each of the several political parties in the county, five copies of the lists of voters of each election district in the county; and to the municipal clerk of each of the municipalities in the county five copies of the lists of voters of each election district in such municipality; and to the county board 10 copies of the lists of voters of each election district in each of such municipalities. The county clerk shall also, upon the request of the chairman of the State committee of any of the several political parties, but not more than once in each calendar year, forthwith deliver a copy of the lists of voters of each election district in each of the municipalities in his county. In no case shall a list of registered voters furnished pursuant to this section include voter signatures or, except as otherwise provided in section 3 of P.L.2021, c.371 (C.47:1B-3), the home address of a covered person, as defined in section 1 of P.L.2021, c.371 (C.47:1B-1), who has received approval from the Office of Information Privacy for the redaction or nondisclosure of the covered person's address. The county clerk shall satisfy the request by delivery of a computer-generated or electronic copy of the list for the county from the Statewide voter registration system. b. The commissioner of registration shall furnish a computer-generated or electronic copy of a list of registered voters in any or all election districts in the county to any voter requesting it, for which copy such commissioner shall make a charge which shall be uniform in any calendar year and which shall reflect only the cost of reproducing the list, but which in any case shall not exceed $375. c. No person shall use voter registration lists or copies thereof prepared pursuant to this section as a basis for commercial or charitable solicitation of the voters listed thereon. Any person making such use of such lists or copies thereof shall be a disorderly person, and shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $500.00. L.1947,c.347,s.2; amended 1951, c.273, s.1; 1966, c.117, s.2; 1974, c.30, s.13; 1975, c.115; 1990, c.60; 1991, c.113; 2005, c.139, s.17; 2005, c.145, s.14; 2021, c.371, s.6.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-18.3 Filing of original registry lists

The county clerk, after causing copies of such registry lists to be printed, shall file the original registry lists in his office and keep same on file for one year. L.1947, c. 347, p. 1138, s. 4.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-18.4 Repeal

Sections 19:30-1 and 19:30-2 of the Revised Statutes are repealed. L.1947, c. 347, p. 1138, s. 5.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-19 Correction of records by commissioner.

19:31-19. The commissioner shall transfer to the deleted file the permanent registration and record of voting forms of such persons as a judge of the Superior Court may, as hereinafter provided, order stricken from the Statewide voter registration system and the signature copy register. The registrant shall be notified by the commissioner by registered mail of any transfer made pursuant to this section. After the permanent registration form of any person has been placed in the deleted file for any reason whatsoever, the Commissioner of Registration shall note that the person's registration has been rendered void in the record for that person in the Statewide voter registration system and stamp across the face of said registration form in red ink with a rubber stamp, in type at least one inch high, the word void and underneath said word, deleted, and thereafter, the said form shall not be restored, reinstated or re-transferred to the active file. Any person whose permanent registration form has been transferred to the deleted file shall be required to reregister, in order to be eligible to vote. In no event, shall any person's registration form number which has been transferred to the deleted file be again used as the registration number of that person or any other person. Amended 1940, c.31, s.1; 1953, c.19, s.45; 1991, c.91, s.250; 2005, c.145, s.15.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-20 Delivery of signature copy registers.

19:31-20. On or before the eighth day preceding the primary election for the general election and the general election, respectively, the commissioner in counties not having a superintendent of elections, shall deliver to the municipal clerk in each municipality the signature copy registers for each election district in such municipality and shall take a receipt for same. The municipal clerk shall thereupon deliver at his office, or in any other way he sees fit, such registers to a member or members of the proper district boards at the same time and together with the primary for the general election sample ballots or the general election sample ballots, as the case may be. The registers shall be used by the district boards on election days and for the purpose of mailing the sample ballots. The commissioner in counties having a superintendent of elections shall deliver such registers at his office, or in any other way he may see fit, to the various district boards, taking a receipt for same. Before delivering the registers the commissioner shall cause to be printed upon a separate sheet or sheets of paper, to be inserted inside of the front cover of such registers in conspicuous type, such instructions to election officers regarding the use and disposition of the binders and forms as he deems necessary. amended 1947, c.168, s.22; 2005, c.136, s.44; 2005, c.139, s.18; 2011, c.134, s.41.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-21 Use of signature copy registers on election day.

19:31-21. A person whose name appears in the signature copy register and who upon applying for a ballot or voting authority shall have given the information and signed the signature comparison record as provided in this Title and whose signature in the signature comparison record shall have been compared by a member of the district board and in the presence and view of the challengers with the signature of the applicant as recorded in the register shall be eligible to receive a ballot or voting authority unless it be shown to the satisfaction of a majority of the members of the district board that he is not entitled to vote in the district or has otherwise become disqualified. No person shall be required to sign the signature comparison record as a means of identification if he shall have been unable to write his name when he registered, or if, having been able to write his name when registered, he subsequently shall have lost his sight or lost the hand with which he was accustomed to write or shall by reason of disease or accident be unable to write his name when he applies to vote, but each such person shall establish his identity in the manner provided in this Title. In addition to signing the signature comparison record and after the comparison of the signature with the signature in the register, a person offering to vote at the primary election for the general election, as the case may be, shall announce his name and the party primary in which he wishes to vote. After a person has voted the member of the district board having charge of the signature copy registers shall place the number of the person's ballot in the proper column on the record of voting form of such person, which number shall constitute a record that the person has voted. In the case of the primary election for the general election such member of the district board shall also place in the proper column on the record of voting form the first three letters of the name of the political party whose primary ballot such person has voted. In the event that the duplicate permanent registration form of any person cannot be found in the signature copy register at the time he applies for a ballot or voting authority, a member of the district board shall promptly ascertain from the commissioner or a duly authorized clerk if such person is permanently registered. Upon information that such is the fact, such member of the district board shall require the person applying for a ballot or voting authority to obtain an order from the commissioner authorizing him to receive a ballot or voting authority. The commissioner shall specially authorize and deputize clerks to issue such orders in municipalities within his county. The commissioner or his clerk shall require the voter to sign his name upon such order for the purpose of signature comparison. The district board shall require the voter to again sign his name on said order, in the presence of the board, and if the signatures compare, to permit him to vote. At primary elections the commissioner or his duly authorized clerk shall endorse on the order the political party whose ballot such person voted at the last preceding primary election. The order shall be returned to the commissioner at the same time and along with the signature copy registers. amended 1945, c.77; 2005, c.136, s.45; 2011, c.134, s.42.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-22 Return of signature copy registers, inspection by commissioner.

19:31-22. Not later than noon of the day following the canvass of the votes cast at the primary election for the general election or the general election, the signature copy registers shall be returned by each district board to the commissioner at his office or in any other way as the commissioner may see fit. Upon receipt of the registers the commissioner shall inspect them and verify from the party primary poll books and the general election poll books, as the case may be, that the entries required to be made on the record of voting forms in such registers by the district boards have been made. If the commissioner shall ascertain that such entries have not been made or have been improperly made, he shall cause such entries and corrections to be made forthwith and also notify the county board of such failure of duty and the members of such district board who have so failed in their duty and shall be ineligible for appointment as members of any district board thereafter. amended 1965, c.106; 2005, c.136, s.46; 2011, c.134, s.43.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-23 Record of voting; maintenance of forms.

19:31-23. Following each election the commissioner shall cause the record of voting as shown on the record of voting forms in the signature copy registers or, in counties in which polling records are used in place of those signature copy registers pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1994, c.170 (C.19:31-3.3), as shown in the polling records, to be entered on the record of voting forms in the original registration binders and the Statewide voter registration system. An entry of any record of voting which shall have been made in the system shall be retained for a period of not less than ten years following the election at which the vote so recorded was cast. Amended 1994, c.170, s.4; 1994, c.182, s.16; 2005, c.145, s.16.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-24 General registration following complete loss, failure of Statewide voter registration system.

19:31-24. In the event of the complete loss or failure of the Statewide voter registration system, the commissioner shall promptly provide for a general registration at the regular polling places in the district or districts for which the binders, registration forms, or other official voter registration information have been lost or destroyed. Amended 1994, c.170, s.5; 1994, c.182, s.17; 2005, c.145, s.17.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-26 Card index file; notations, information.

19:31-26. The commissioner may make and maintain a card index file showing on separate cards the full name, address, birth date, driver's license number, last four digits of the social security number, or unique identifying number, municipality, ward and district, registration number and date of registration of each person registered in his county. This file shall be arranged alphabetically according to names irrespective of municipality, ward, district, registration number, and date of registration. Reasonably sufficient space shall be reserved on each card for the notations to be made thereon as herein provided. The commissioner shall cause to be made notation on these cards as to each registrant respectively whose registration forms have been transferred from one register to another or to the inactive, death or conviction files concurrently with such transfer. The card with such notations shall show the location of the registration forms of each registrant at all times. All changes of address of the registrant, including those within the same district, shall be noted on these cards concurrently with changes of address on the registration forms. Amended 1994, c.170, s.6; 1994, c.182, s.18; 2005, c.145, s.18.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-29 Violations, relief; actions

42. a. Any person who believes that he or she has been denied an opportunity to register to vote or to remain a registered voter in violation of the provisions of P.L.1994, c.182 (C.19:31-6.11 et al.), may seek relief by providing written notice to the Secretary of State. Such notice shall include the date which the person seeking relief believes the violation to have occurred and as many of the particulars relative to the violation as that person can recount. The notice shall also include the name and address of the person seeking relief and shall be certified by that person's signature. b. If the violation of the provisions of P.L.1994, c.182 (C.19:31-6.11 et al.) has not been investigated or corrected within 90 days after the Secretary of State receives written notice of the violation, or within 20 days after the Secretary of State receives written notice of the violation if the violation occurred within 120 days prior to the day of an election, the aggrieved person may bring a civil action in the appropriate superior court for declaratory or injunctive relief with respect to the violation. c. If the violation occurred within 30 days prior to the day of an election, the aggrieved person shall not be required to first provide written notice to the Secretary of State, as provided for in subsection a. of this section, but may instead bring a civil action in the appropriate superior court, as provided for in subsection b. of this section. d. In any civil actions brought under subsections b. or c. of this section, the superior court may allow the prevailing party, other than the United States, reasonable attorney fees, including litigation fees and costs. L.1994,c.182,s.42.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-30 Rules, regulations

44. The Secretary of State shall promulgate, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), such rules and regulations as are necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act. L.1994,c.182,s.44.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-31 Establishment of single Statewide voter registration system.

1. a. There shall be established in the Department of State a single Statewide voter registration system, as required pursuant to section 303 of the federal "Help America Vote Act of 2002," Pub.L.107-252 (42 U.S.C. s.15483). The principal computer components of the system shall be under the direct control of the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State shall be responsible for creating the network necessary to maintain the system and providing the computer software, hardware and security necessary to ensure that the system is accessible only to those executive departments and State agencies so designated by the Secretary of State, each county commissioner of registration, each county and municipal clerk, and individuals under certain circumstances, as provided for by this section. The system shall be the official State repository for voter registration information for every legally registered voter in this State, and shall serve as the official voter registration system for the conduct of all elections in the State. b. The Statewide voter registration system shall include, but not be limited to, the following features: (1) the name and registration information of every legally registered voter in the State; (2) the ability to assign a unique identifier to each legally registered voter in the State; (3) interactivity among appropriate State agencies so designated by the Secretary of State, each county commissioner of registration, each county board of elections, and each county clerk such that these entities shall have immediate electronic access to all or selected records in the system, as determined by the Secretary of State, to receive or transmit all or selected files in the system and to print or review all or selected files in the system; (4) the ability to permit any county commissioner of registration to enter voter registration information on an expedited basis, and to transfer electronically voter registration information from an online voter registration form completed pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2019, c.382 (C.19:31-6.4c), at the time the information is provided thereto and to permit the Secretary of State to provide technical support to do so whenever needed; (5) the ability to permit each municipal clerk to view or print information in the system; (6) the ability to permit an individual, by July 1, 2006, to verify via the Internet whether that individual, and only that individual, is included in the system as a legally registered voter, whether the information pertaining to that individual required by subsection c. of this section is correct, and if not, a means to notify the pertinent county commissioner of registration of the corrections that must be made and to so verify in a way that does not give one individual access to the information required by subsection c. of this section for any other individual; (7) a Statewide street address index and map in electronic form that can accurately identify the location of every legally registered voter in this State; (8) the ability to record and monitor all requests for mail-in ballots; to enable the county clerk to verify the identity and signature of each person requesting a mail-in ballot; to record the name and address of each voter determined to be eligible to receive a mail-in ballot for a particular election and to note when a mail-in ballot has been transmitted to that voter by mail or hand delivery; to update the system to allow the postal tracking of mail-in ballots using Intelligent Mail barcodes, or a similar successor tracking system, upon the finding by the Secretary of State that such technology is viable; and to make such information available to the Secretary of State so that a voter can be notified whether the application for such a ballot was accepted or rejected, and the reason for the rejection, using the free-access system established by section 5 of P.L.2004, c.88 (C.19:61-5); and (9) any other functions required pursuant to Pub.L.107-252 (42 U.S.C. s.15301 et seq.), or Title 19 of the Revised Statutes, or that may be deemed necessary by the Secretary of State. c. The Statewide voter registration system shall include, but not be limited to, the following information for every legally registered voter in this State: (1) last, first and middle name; (2) street address at time of registration or rural route, box number or apartment number, if any; (3) city or municipality, and zip code; (4) date of birth; (5) telephone number and e-mail address, if provided on voter registration form; (6) previous name or address if individual re-registered due to change of name or address; (7) ward and election district number, if either is available; (8) (a) current and valid New Jersey driver's license number; or (b) if the registrant has not been issued a New Jersey driver's license number, the last four digits of the registrant's social security number; or (c) unique identifying number for any individual who has not been issued the information sought in subparagraph (a) or (b) of this paragraph; (9) notation that a copy of one of the following documents has been submitted with the voter registration application, if required: current and valid photo identification card; a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, pay check or any other government document showing the registrant's name and current address; (10) the method by which the individual registered and whether that person needs to provide additional identification information to vote using a voting machine instead of a provisional ballot; (11) political party affiliation, if designated; (12) digitized signature; (13) date of registration or re-registration; (14) name and street address of the individual assisting in the completion of the form, if the applicant for registration is unable to do so; (15) voting participation record for ten-year period; and (16) any other information required pursuant to Pub.L.107-252 (42 U.S.C. s.15301 et seq.), or Title 19 of the Revised Statutes, or that the Secretary of State determines is necessary to assess the eligibility of an individual to be registered to vote and to vote in this State. L.2005, c.145, s.1; amended 2009, c.79, s.32; 2009, c.287, s.2; 2018, c.72, s.4; 2019, c.382, s.4.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-32 Replacement of existing voter registration files.

2. a. The Statewide voter registration system shall replace all other computer or electronic-based registry files of voters and other voter registration files established and maintained by each county commissioner of registration for voter registration and election administration purposes established pursuant to the provisions of Title 19 and Title 40 of the Revised Statutes, and shall be the single system for storing and managing the official file of registered voters throughout the State. A commissioner may, however, continue to use and maintain as a supplement to the system the original and duplicate permanent registration binders and voting records and shall continue to use and maintain the signature copy registers or polling records provided for in Title 19 of the Revised Statutes. b. Each county commissioner of registration shall be responsible for adding to, deleting from, amending and otherwise conducting on a regular basis maintenance for the files of every legally registered voter in that commissioner's county as contained in the Statewide voter registration system, pursuant to the provisions of section 303 of Pub.L.107-252 (42 U.S.C. s. 15301 et seq.) and Title 19 of the Revised Statutes. Each commissioner shall be responsible for verifying the accuracy of the name, address and other data of registered voters in the commissioner's respective county as contained in the system. The commissioner who receives the voter registration forms of individuals who have registered to vote in the county or who are re-registering for any reason shall be responsible for entering the information on those forms into the system on an expedited basis, and electronically transferring into the system the information from online voter registration forms completed pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2019, c.382 (C.19:31-6.4c), including but not limited to forms and information received pursuant to chapter 31 of Title 19 of the Revised Statutes. The information the commissioner shall use to update and maintain the system shall be that required by subsection c. of section 1 of P.L.2005, c.145 (C.19:31-31). c. The Secretary of State and each county commissioner of registration shall be responsible for developing and providing the technological security measures needed to prevent unauthorized access to the Statewide voter registration system established pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2005, c.145 (C.19:31-31) and to the information for any individual on the system required by subsection c. of section 1 of that act. d. The Secretary of State, in consultation with each county commissioner of registration, shall develop minimum standards to safeguard the accuracy of the files contained in the Statewide voter registration system. Such standards shall include procedures to ensure that reasonable effort is made to remove registrants who are ineligible to vote pursuant to federal or State law and to ensure that eligible voters are not removed in error from the system. e. (1) The Secretary of State and the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission in the Department of Transportation shall enter into an agreement to match information in the database of the Statewide voter registration system with information in the database of the commission, including social security numbers, to the extent required to enable verification of the accuracy of the information provided on applications for voter registration, and to locate and utilize for voter registration purposes the digitized signatures of licensed drivers or holders of non-driver identification cards who register to vote using an online voter registration form, as provided pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2019, c.382 (C.19:31-6.4c). (2) The Secretary of State shall enter into an agreement with the Commissioner of the Department of Health and Senior Services to match information in the database of the Statewide voter registration system with State agency information on death records. (3) The Secretary of State shall enter into an agreement with the Commissioner of the Department of Corrections to match information in the database of the Statewide voter registration system with State agency information on individuals who are incarcerated, on probation, or on parole as the result of a conviction for an indictable offense. (4) The Secretary of State shall enter into an agreement with the Administrative Office of the Courts to match information in the database of the Statewide voter registration system with State agency information on individuals who are incarcerated, on probation, or on parole as the result of a conviction for an indictable offense. (5) The Secretary of State shall enter into an agreement with the State Parole Board to match information in the database of the Statewide voter registration system with State agency information on individuals who are on parole. L.2005, c.145, s.2; amended 2019, c.382, s.5.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-33 Annual report; submission, contents.

3. Each year the Attorney General shall prepare and submit to the Governor and the President of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the General Assembly and the Minority Leader of the General Assembly a report that: a. assesses the current status of the Statewide voter registration system; b. assesses the hardware and software required to maintain and expand the system; c. reviews existing or planned statewide voter registration systems in other states or as may be required by Pub.L.107-252 (42 U.S.C. s.15301 et seq.) or the federal Election Assistance Commission created by that law; d. recommends ways to strengthen and expand electronic communications among those executive departments and State agencies designated by the Attorney General to have access to the system, the county commissioners of registration and the county and municipal clerks; and e. recommends ways to improve the effectiveness of the system in the administration of elections and voting in this State. In preparing the report, the Attorney General shall solicit the views of county commissioners of registration and such other individuals familiar with the system as the Attorney General may wish to consult. The Attorney General shall submit the initial report to the Governor and the President of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the General Assembly and the Minority Leader of the General Assembly no later than two years after the effective date of P.L.2005, c.145 (C.19:31-31 et al.). L.2005,c.145,s.3.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-34 Rules, regulations.

4. The Attorney General may promulgate rules and regulations, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act, P.L.2005, c.145 (C.19:31-31 et al.). L.2005,c.145,s.4.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-34.1 Secretary of State as member of non-profit organization to improve voter registration accuracy.

1. Notwithstanding the provisions of any law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, the Secretary of State may become a member, on behalf of the State of New Jersey, of a non-profit organization comprised solely of United States territorial governmental units, states, and the District of Columbia for the purpose of improving the accuracy of voter registration information and increasing access to voter registration for eligible individuals. The Secretary of State may share, transmit, or receive confidential, personal, or personally identifiable information, excluding information unrelated to voter eligibility, for those purposes. The Secretary of State shall not share or transmit documentation or other information that indicates that an individual is not a citizen of the United States. Information shared, transmitted, or received, including information from the non-profit organization, in carrying out the purposes of this section shall not be considered a government record under P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-1 et seq.) or the common law concerning access to government records. 2021, c.139, s.1.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-35 Use of electronic poll books.

1. Each county commissioner of registration and county board of elections shall require the use of electronic poll books, as further provided by this act, P.L.2019, c.80 (C.19:31-35 et seq.), at each polling place during the early voting period and on the day of any election, in place of the paper polling record or signature copy register, to access the registration record, eligibility, signature, and other information of each registered voter in the election district. The electronic poll books shall enable at least the same functionality currently provided by the paper polling records or signature copy register to be accomplished in the conduct of an election. An electronic poll book shall not be used unless it has been certified by the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State shall adopt and publish electronic poll books standards and regulations governing the certification and use of electronic poll books. The Secretary of State shall not certify an electronic poll book unless it is in compliance with at least the capabilities and standards specified under section 2 of P.L.2019, c.80 (C.19:31-36) and the Secretary of State's standards and regulations. The Secretary of State shall provide the rules, regulations, and instructions regarding the examination, testing, and use of electronic poll books, including rules regarding the security and protection of the information stored in such electronic poll books, to each county commissioner of registration and board of elections. L.2019, c.80, s.1; amended 2021, c.40, s.19.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-36 Capabilities, standard of electronic poll book technology.

2. The electronic poll book technology certified by the Secretary of State shall meet at least the following capabilities and standards: a. The ability to enable a poll worker to perform by electronic means all of the same functions performed using a paper polling record and signature copy register, during the conduct of an election, including but not limited to, the following: (1) retrieving a registered voter's name, address, and date of birth and identifying the municipality and the particular election district therein from which the person is registered; (2) verifying whether additional identifying documents or proof of residency are needed to complete a voter's registration; (3) accessing a registered voter's voting record and an imprint of the digitized image of the registered voter's signature; (4) recording a registered voter's signature at the polls; (5) assigning a sequential number of each voter permitted to vote; (6) inspecting whether a registered voter already voted or was mailed a mail-in ballot; (7) redirecting a voter to the correct polling place; (8) recording any necessary notation of remarks on the voter's record as provided by R.S.19:15-23 and any other challenge and the determination thereof by the district board in connection with the conduct of an election; (9) providing an auditable record of the election; and (10) in the case of a primary election, the electronic poll books shall indicate for each registered voter the political party, if any, of which the voter is a member for the purpose of voting at that primary; b. compatibility with the Statewide voter registration system established pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2005, c.145 (C.19:31-31), which shall include the ability of the electronic poll books to import the records of all registered voters in the election district and updates to those records before election day, to record edits to those records on election day, and to export to the Statewide voter registration system all of the election activity and voter participation information at the closing of the polls or, as an alternative to the export capability, the capability to generate a report of the election activity and voter participation information for manual entry into the Statewide voter registration system; c. a proven ability to successfully meet requirements concerning technology documentation, user safety, accessibility, durability, data encryption, non-interference with and separation from the voting system in use during an election, device and system security, audit log, data and power backup, compatibility, and functionality, as demonstrated under actual performance and use in other United States election administration jurisdictions; and d. any other capability or standard deemed appropriate by the county commissioner of registration, county board of elections, or Secretary of State, or deemed necessary to comply with any provision of Title 19 of the Revised Statutes. L.2019, c.80, s.2.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-37 Request for approval for use of electronic poll books.

3. A county commissioner of registration and county board of elections shall submit to the Secretary of State a request for approval in the form, content, and timeframe specified by the Secretary of State. Within 10 days of receiving the request, the Secretary of State shall review the request for compliance with the Secretary of State's standards and regulations and all of the capabilities and standards required under this act, P.L.2019, c.80 (C.19:31-35 et seq.). A county commissioner of registration and county board of elections approved to use electronic poll books shall furnish at least two electronic poll books for each polling place. Each voter shall be required to sign the electronic poll book. Notwithstanding any provision of Title 19 of the Revised Statutes, or any other law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, a voter shall be permitted to vote by provisional ballot if the electronic poll book ceases to operate. Electronic poll books for each election shall be prepared by the commissioner of registration no later than the 10th day preceding the start of the early voting period for the election. At each election, the delivery of the electronic poll books to the municipal clerk and to the district boards or other officials charged with the same duties as the district boards in connection with the conduct of an election, and the return of those electronic poll books by the district boards or such other election officials to the commissioner of registration, shall be made in the manner prescribed by the commissioner of registration and shall comply with Title 19 of the Revised Statutes. The commissioner of registration shall retain the electronic poll books records for any election for a period of not less than six years following that election. L.2019, c.80, s.3; amended 2021, c.40, s.20.

N.J. Stat. § 19:31-38 Rules, regulations.

4. Notwithstanding any provision of the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) to the contrary, the Secretary of State shall adopt immediately upon filing with the Office of Administrative Law, within 90 days of the effective date of this act, P.L.2019, c.80 (C.19:31-35 et seq.), such rules and regulations as the Secretary of State deems necessary to implement the provisions of this act, which shall be effective during an interim period and may thereafter be amended, adopted, or readopted by the Secretary of State in accordance with the requirements of the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.). L.2019, c.80, s.4.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislative-activity/statutesFetched: 10/17/2026