Legislation introduced by Senators Parker Space and Carmen Amato would require citizenship documents for state and local elections, create a federal-only voter designation and impose criminal penalties on election officials who knowingly violate the law.
TRENTON, NJ — Every registered voter in New Jersey would be required to provide proof of U.S. citizenship to continue voting in state and local elections under legislation introduced by two Republican state senators.
Senate Bill 4794, introduced October 8 by Sen. Parker Space of Morris, Sussex and Warren counties and Sen. Carmen Amato Jr. of Ocean County, would establish new citizenship verification requirements for both current voters and new applicants.
Residents who fail to provide the required documentation would be restricted to voting in federal elections beginning January 1 following the legislation’s enactment.
The bill would also make it a third-degree crime for election officials to knowingly and willfully disregard the requirements.
Existing voters would have to submit citizenship documents
Under Senate Bill 4794, the Secretary of State would have 90 days after enactment to notify existing registered voters of the new requirements.
Acceptable documentation would include U.S. passports, qualifying birth certificates, naturalization records and certain government-issued identification cards that verify citizenship.
State and county election officials would also use the Department of Homeland Security’s Person Centric Query Service to verify eligibility.
Voters who do not submit satisfactory proof would receive a “federal election only voter” designation in the statewide registration system, preventing them from participating in gubernatorial, legislative, county and municipal elections.
The legislation explicitly preserves their ability to vote in federal contests.
Election officials could face criminal prosecution
The proposal includes penalties for election administrators who deliberately disregard the citizenship verification rules.
An official who knowingly and willfully accepts an invalid registration or fails to invalidate an existing state and local election registration could be charged with a third-degree crime, generally punishable by three to five years in prison.
The Secretary of State would also be responsible for developing implementation guidelines, including procedures for verifying documentation and designing ballots for federal-only voters.
Proposal follows questions over New Jersey voter registration system
The legislation comes amid Republican criticism of errors in New Jersey’s voter registration system, including cases in which people who indicated they were ineligible were nevertheless registered through state procedures.
Republican lawmakers have argued that additional verification is necessary to prevent improper registrations and protect election integrity.
New Jersey already prohibits noncitizens from voting. The proposed law would change how that eligibility requirement is documented and enforced.
Supporters of documentary citizenship requirements argue they provide an additional safeguard against registration errors.
Critics warn that requiring existing voters to produce documents could prevent eligible citizens from participating in elections if they cannot obtain birth certificates, passports or other qualifying records before the deadline.
Bill awaits legislative consideration
S4794 has been referred to the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee.
An Assembly companion measure, A5573, was introduced October 5 by Republican Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia.