STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator JAMES BEACH
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Senator ANDREW ZWICKER
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senators McKnight, Moriarty and Burgess
SYNOPSIS
Requires county clerks to send applications for mail-in ballots to registered voters upon their 18th birthday.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning applications for mail-in ballots and supplementing P.L.2009, c.79.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The county clerk of each county shall transmit to each voter who is 17 years of age and registered to vote in that county pursuant to R.S.19:31-5 an application for a mail-in ballot upon the voter’s 18th birthday.
b. The State shall reimburse each county for any additional direct expenditures required for the implementation of this section, provided that the reimbursement for mailing costs shall not exceed the cost of mailing a standard two ounce piece of first-class mail per mail-in ballot application.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill directs the county clerk in each county to send an application for a mail-in ballot to each 17-year-old registered voter upon their 18th birthday. The bill requires the State to reimburse each county for any additional direct expenditures incurred upon mailing the mail-in ballot application. The reimbursement will not exceed the cost of mailing a standard two ounce piece of first-class mail per mail-in ballot application.
Under current law, a person who is at least 17 years of age and will be 18 on the date of the next general election is entitled to register to vote, provided they meet all other voter registration requirements.