TRENTON, N.J. – Pretty soon, Save Jerseyans? You may be able to vote from the comfort of your couch. It’s nightmare fuel for election integrity watchdogs.
S4163/A4960 is a brand new proposal to establish a “municipal election mobile voting pilot program.” The new legislation introduced in the Assembly by Demcorats Larry Wainstein and Gabriel Rodriguez would create a pilot program allowing certain New Jersey municipalities to offer mobile voting in local elections through secure electronic ballot transmission systems.
Under the proposal, the New Jersey Secretary of State would oversee the development of the program in coordination with county election officials. Participating municipalities could allow voters to cast ballots electronically in addition to traditional in-person and mail-in voting options.
The bill identifies cybersecurity and verification requirements for approved mobile voting platforms, including end-to-end encryption, multifactor authentication, auditability, biometric identity verification, and the creation of paper ballot records for auditing. The legislation also requires accessibility accommodations for voters with disabilities as well as mandatory compatibility with assistive technologies.
New Jersey’s Secretary of State would be responsible for selecting an experienced vendor to build and operate the system. Municipal clerks would be responsible for managing voter notification efforts, election worker training, and contingency planning in the event of technical failures.
The measure also includes privacy protections that limit the collection of voter data and prohibit vendors or government entities from selling, sharing, or monetizing personal information gathered through the system.
If enacted, preparations for the pilot program would need to be completed within six months, with participating municipalities permitted to use the system in municipal elections for eight years. Local and state election officials would then be required to issue reports evaluating the program’s effectiveness, security, and administration before lawmakers decide whether to expand or discontinue mobile voting statewide.
