Bill > S3853

This bill revises procedures for post-election audits in New Jersey, expanding the methods by which election results can be verified beyond traditional hand-to-eye counting. Specifically, the bill allows post-election audits to be conducted using independent third-party electronic machines in addition to manual counting, providing more flexibility in the audit process. The bill eliminates previous strict statistical power requirements that mandated very precise recount procedures designed to ensure with high confidence that a manual recount would not change the election outcome. Instead, the new approach requires audit procedures to be published prior to elections and made available for public comment, promoting transparency. The Secretary of State will continue to appoint an independent audit team each year, which will oversee audits in at least two percent of election districts for federal, state, county, and municipal elections. The bill maintains important safeguards, such as preventing audit team members from having conflicts of interest, and allows for expanded audits if initial results show potential discrepancies that could alter vote shares. Importantly, the bill preserves the option for candidates to request additional recounts while ensuring that audited districts' official results are typically used in such proceedings.

Government Affairs

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2024/S3853