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Stack early-voting bill’s density cutoff fits only Hudson County — and expands state-paid early voting to school and fire races
JERSEY INTEL EXCLUSIVE
A bill Sen. Brian P. Stack introduced last week would require early voting for every election in counties that clear a population-density line only Hudson County currently meets — and it would put the State on the hook to reimburse the extra cost, with no published fiscal estimate yet.
Infographic: Jersey Intel. Sources: S4796 as introduced; U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts (Hudson and Essex); NJ Legislature bill page.
- What we know: S4796 (Oct. 8) applies only where county density is at least 15,000 people per square mile. 2020 Census: Hudson 15,691.5; Essex, next densest, 6,850.4.
- Why it matters: In that county, early voting would be required for municipal, school-board and fire-district elections as well as primaries and generals, with State reimbursement for added costs. OLS has certified a fiscal note; none is posted.
- What’s next: The bill sits in the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee. Effective date would be Jan. 1 after enactment.
What the bill actually says
S4796 amends New Jersey’s early-voting law so that, in “a county with a population density equal to or greater than 15,000 people per square mile,” registered voters must be offered early voting before “each primary, general, municipal, school district, and fire district election.” Municipalities in those counties that hold May nonpartisan elections would also have to run early voting for those races.
Under current law, early voting is required for certain primaries and generals. May municipal early voting is optional unless a town adopts it. School-board and fire-district elections are outside that mandatory early-voting frame. Stack’s bill would change that — but only inside the density band.
The bill also amends the State reimbursement section of the early-voting law so counties and municipalities can recover “any additional costs” from both the existing statute and this bill, subject to Treasury approval — the same constitutional reimbursement pathway already on the books for early voting.
The bill’s own statement argues that people in high-density areas “may benefit from additional voting days because larger populations in small areas can create greater demand at polling places.” It does not name Hudson County, or any other county, by name.
The cutoff lands on one county
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts put Hudson County’s 2020 population density at 15,691.5 people per square mile (724,854 residents on 46.19 square miles of land). That is the only New Jersey county above 15,000.
Essex County, the second densest, is 6,850.4 people per square mile — less than half the bill’s threshold. Union, Bergen and every other county sit lower still on the 2020 Census density ranking.
Stack represents the 33rd Legislative District in Hudson County and is the sole listed sponsor. The bill was referred to the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee the day it was introduced. It has not had a committee vote.
Cost still blank
The Legislature’s bill page for S4796 states that the measure “has been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.” As of Monday morning, no legislative fiscal estimate document was posted with the bill. That means lawmakers — and the public — do not yet have an Office of Legislative Services dollar figure for the expanded State reimbursement.
Questions the documents leave open: What will OLS put on the fiscal note once it is issued? Would any later Census update pull another county over 15,000? Why set the line just under Hudson’s 2020 density and more than double Essex’s?
Have documents on early-voting costs in Hudson, or on how the 15,000 figure was chosen? Send Jersey Intel a tip or email jerseyintel@gmail.com.