Lt. Gov. and Secretary of State Dale Caldwell went before the Assembly Budget Committee on Wednesday, giving legislators an update on election administration in the state.
Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic City) asked how many voters could be affected by the SAVE Act, which sits before the U.S. Senate and would require documentary proof of citizenship before voting. Republicans like President Donald Trump argue that the bill is needed to protect election integrity, while Democrats argue the legislation is unnecessary and would be an obstacle to millions.
Caldwell said it wasn’t clear how many could be affected if the SAVE Act were signed into law, but he did say people with lower incomes would probably be more likely to be affected.
“That’s up to speculation, but clearly, people who are economically challenged or others have a lot of challenges in the system,” Caldwell said. “But again, we’re not investigative bodies, so we don’t have any specific information, but that’s what we might suspect.”
Assemblyman Al Barlas (R-Cedar Grove), a member of the select committee that helped reform New Jersey’s primary ballots, asked for an update on an expected report and how the new ballots were faring.
“The information we received was that there were minor challenges,” Assistant Secretary of State Lauren Zyriek said. “There were minor increases in fiscal spending, and there was minor voter confusion regarding the ballot.”
Caldwell also faced questions from legislators worried that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents might try to intimidate voters during elections. Assemblywoman Ellen Park (D-Englewood Cliffs) asked how voters might be able to address ICE agents appearing near polling places.
“It makes my communities nervous that ICE is going to show up and literally stand outside the polling stations to you know, whether to arrest or detain or even just intimidation,” Park said.
Caldwell said election officials are working with state law enforcement to work on communicating to voters that it will be safe to vote.
“There’s an enhanced effort of communication with the attorney general, with the State Police, and with Homeland Security to really develop a strategy to make sure that people are safe,” Caldwell said. “And part of this misinformation campaign that I alluded to before is that ICE may not be there, but if they scare people to say ICE is going to be there, then people may not show up.”
Caldwell said that after bomb threats affected polling locations in several counties last year, state election officials are increasing their cooperation with law enforcement to ensure the safe operations of polling places.
“We’re communicating with all of the election offices, communicating with the responsive police agencies to make sure that every I is dotted and T is crossed,” Caldwell said. “These are really important questions, and as I said, I think what we need to do is do an increased job to let people know that they’re safe and that we have our eye on the ball.”
Caldwell also asked for help from the Legislature in one aspect: recruiting poll workers.
“This is not just about staffing polling locations,” he said. “It’s about cultivating the next generation of civic leaders.”