Bill > A1348

Introduced Session

Under current law, early votes cast during the early voting period may not be canvassed or counted until the polls close on election day. Similarly, mail-in ballots for an election are not permitted to be counted until election day. Under this bill, county boards of elections are permitted to begin canvassing each early vote no earlier than 24 hours after the conclusion of the early voting period. The bill also permits a county board of elections to begin opening the inner envelopes and canvassing the mail-in ballots as the mail-in ballots are received by the county board. The bill also directs the Secretary of State to establish guidelines concerning the canvassing process of early votes to ensure the security and secrecy of the votes cast. The canvassing results of both early votes and mail-in ballots would remain confidential and be disclosed only in accordance with current law, regulations, and guidelines concerning the disclosure of election results. Under current law for mail-in ballots, any person who is authorized to receive and canvass completed mail-in-ballots who knowingly discloses to the public the contents of a mail-in ballot prior to the time designated by law for the closing of the polls for each election is guilty of a crime of the third degree. This bill extends the same penalties to the disclosure of early voting results.

AI Summary

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Chris DePhillips (R)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document