An Act concerning county boards of elections and amending R.S.19:6-17.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. R.S.19:6-17 is amended to read as follows:

19:6-17. The county board shall consist of [4] four persons, who shall be legal voters of the counties for which they are respectively appointed. Two members of such county board shall be members of the political party which at the last preceding general election, held for the election of all of the members of the General Assembly, cast the largest number of votes in this State for members of the General Assembly, and the remaining [2] two members of such board shall be members of the political party which at such election cast the next largest number of votes in the State for members of the General Assembly. No person who holds elective public office shall be eligible to serve as a member of the county board during the term of such elective office. The office of member of the county board shall be deemed vacant upon such member becoming a candidate for an office to be voted upon at any primary, general election or special election, except [for nomination for or election to membership in any county committee or State committee or] for nomination for or election as a delegate at large or alternate delegate at large, or district delegate or alternate district delegate to any national political convention, such candidacy to be determined by the filing of a petition of nomination duly accepted by such member in the manner provided by law.

No person who is employed by or engages in business with any county committee or State committee, or is a member of the immediate family of a member of a county committee or State committee, shall be eligible to serve as a member of the county board. For the purpose of this paragraph, "member of the immediate family" means a spouse, child, parent, or sibling residing in the same household.

In all counties of the first class the county board may appoint some suitable person clerk of such board. In counties of the first class having a population of less than 800,000, the county board may appoint 4 additional office employees, and in counties of the first class having a population of more than 800,000, the county board may appoint not more than 6 additional office employees, all of whom when appointed by such county boards shall be appointed from the competitive class of civil service, provided, however, that any employee now serving and who has not been appointed from the competitive class of civil service shall be in the classified service of the civil service upon passage of this act. The compensation of the clerk of the county board of elections in counties of the first class shall be in an amount recommended by the county board of elections and subject to the approval of the board of chosen freeholders of the county affected, provided, however, that such compensation shall be not less than $5,000.00 per annum. The compensation of such office employees shall be recommended by the county board and approved by the board of chosen freeholders. All persons now employed by the board in the competitive class of civil service and such other employees now performing assigned duties shall hold such employment in the competitive class of civil service.

(cf: P.L.1965, c.166, s.1)

2. This act shall take effect on January 1 next following enactment.

STATEMENT

This bill would prohibit the following individuals from membership on county boards of elections:

1) a candidate for nomination or election to membership in any county committee or State committee of a political party;

2) an individual who is employed by or engages in business with any county committee or State committee of a political party; and

3) a member of the immediate family of a member of a county committee or State committee of a political party.

Under the bill, "member of the immediate family" includes a spouse, child, parent, or sibling residing in the same household.

This bill would take effect on January 1 following its enactment.