Both chambers of New Jersey’s Legislature approved a bill on Monday that would establish a new automatic voter registration system in the state, reforming how the Motor Vehicle Commission processes potential new voters.
The legislation would move MVC voter registration to an opt-out standard, sponsor and state Sen. Andrew Zwicker (D-South Brunswick) told the New Jersey Globe.
“The bill is making it easier for those eligible to vote in Jersey to get registered,” Zwicker said. “That’s the fundamental, basic principle. Those who are at the DMV who are not registered, if they meet certain requirements, it would put them into the process to begin voter registration.”
Democrats supported the bill, but Republicans voted against it; the Assembly cleared the bill 49-25, and the Senate approved the bill 25-12. The legislation now goes to Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk.
A separate bill, also sponsored by Zwicker, would reform how the state conducts post-election audits of election results. The legislation would allow third-party electronic machines to conduct audits in addition to hand counts, among other procedural reforms.
“With the widespread adoption of early voting and vote-by-mail, we need a more flexible system capable of accurately and efficiently counting paper and electronic ballots,” Zwicker said in a release. “While necessary in the past, hand-counting ballots is simply not the most effective way to audit our elections in the modern era. This legislation is an easy way to make the auditing process more secure and transparent.”
The audit reform bill passed the Assembly in a 77-2 vote and the Senate in a 37-0 vote on Monday, and now heads to the governor’s desk.
