Seeking consistency in how counties count votes in New Jersey, Senate Minority Leader Anthony Bucco and State Sen. Kristin Corrado (R-Totowa) are proposing legislation that would mandate statewide guidelines for securing and counting vote-by-mail ballots.
Bucco and Corrado want to require dual-lock systems so that one party would be unable to access ballot storage areas without the other, along with video surveillance and access logs to record who enters the room.
“Public confidence in our elections depends on consistency and transparency,” Bucco said. “This legislation provides clear, enforceable standards for safeguarding vote-by-mail ballots across every county. By ensuring uniform procedures and bipartisan oversight, we’re taking an important step toward reinforcing trust in our democratic process.”
Corrado, who served as Passaic County Clerk before her election to the Senate, called transparency “the foundation of voter confidence.”
Passaic County Republicans sought to increase security, and force the opening VBMs five days before Election Day, something other counties do under state law, but they were unsuccessful.
The two lawmakers want to increase criminal penalties for unauthorized access.