NJ Voting Concerns, Elections Process Strengthened By New Law

NEW JERSEY — The 2020 election process took its toll on the faith some Americans had in the election and voting process, data suggest.

A poll discussed by ABC News that was taken a few weeks before the 2016 election found 30 percent of all voters were "not confident" the 2016 presidential election results could be trusted.

When the same question was asked a few months after the 2020 election, the ABC News-discussed poll found that the number of those who were "not confident" had dropped to 26 percent.

In addition, a Pew Research survey indicated that 41 percent of U.S. voters felt the 2020 election process was "not run well."

Perhaps some of these doubters were on the mind of Gov. Murphy when he signed seven bills into law Thursday that he said will "ensure that the democratic process is secure and protected."

One of those bills that were signed into law — A3817 — may indeed do as Gov. Murphy said.

A3817 mandates that right away, ballot privacy sleeves are provided at polling places; immediately set up mechanisms that would voters to change their party affiliation online or file a change of address notice with the state online; and by 2016 establish a system that allows voters to ask for a vote-by-mail ballot online, experts said.

"The changes outlined in this bill will make voting and voter registration more convenient and secure," Assemblyman Anthony S. Verrelli, the primary sponsor of the bill, told Patch.

Others who followed A3817 through the legislative process pointed out one caveat that hindered their complete support of it.

"There are a number of positive things about this bill," Philip Hensley, a democracy policy analyst for the League of Women Voters of New Jersey, said in an interview. "We have occasionally heard complaints from voters about insufficient privacy at certain polling places and we think [privacy screens and envelopes] will help address those issues."

Another "positive" about A3817 is the immediate ways that voters will be able to go online and make changes to their profile, he continued.

Still another positive regarding the bill is the improvements it makes to the online voter registration system, which Hensley said is "quicker, easier to use and more convenient for most voters."

Henal Patel, the director of democracy and justice at the New Jersey Institute of Social Justice, shared a similar sentiment.

"[A3817] is a bill that we think overall is a good bill to the process," she told Patch.

"We had some people call and go, 'Hey, I felt like my ballot wasn't as private when I went to cast my vote,'" Patel continued. "Adding privacy sleeves and shields when people are casting their ballot, that's no longer a concern. That's why we fully support this change."

Hensley and Patel did express frustration that the last part of the bill — the establishment of a system that allows voters to ask for a vote-by-mail ballot online — has up to four years to come to fruition.

Our primary concern is "the delay in implementing the provision allowing voters to request a mail-in ballot online until 2026," Hensley from the League of Women Voters of New Jersey said. "We think this is an important provision that makes mail-in voting more accessible, and we would advocate that this change should be implemented as quickly as possible."

The New Jersey Institute of Social Justice has same the concern as Hensley's organization, according to Patel.

"The only major flag right now is why it's going to take four years to allow voters to apply for vote-by-mail ballots."

Got a news tip? Story idea? Send me an email with the details at janel.miller@patch.com.