Terms Used In New Jersey Statutes 19:6-15.1

  • District board: means the district board of registry and election in an election district. See New Jersey Statutes 19:1-1
  • Election: means the procedure whereby the electors of this State or any political subdivision thereof elect persons to fill public office or pass on public questions. See New Jersey Statutes 19:1-1
  • person: includes corporations, companies, associations, societies, firms, partnerships and joint stock companies as well as individuals, unless restricted by the context to an individual as distinguished from a corporate entity or specifically restricted to one or some of the above enumerated synonyms and, when used to designate the owner of property which may be the subject of an offense, includes this State, the United States, any other State of the United States as defined infra and any foreign country or government lawfully owning or possessing property within this State. See New Jersey Statutes 1:1-2
  • Political party: means a party which, at the election held for all of the members of the General Assembly next preceding the holding of any primary election held pursuant to this Title, polled for members of the General Assembly at least 10% of the total vote cast in this State. See New Jersey Statutes 19:1-1
  • Public question: includes any question, proposition or referendum required by the legislative or governing body of this State or any of its political subdivisions to be submitted by referendum procedure to the voters of the State or political subdivision for decision at elections. See New Jersey Statutes 19:1-1
  • State: extends to and includes any State, territory or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia and the Canal Zone. See New Jersey Statutes 1:1-2
2. a. No person who is employed as a police officer, either full-time or part-time, by the State or an instrumentality thereof, or by a political subdivision of the State or an instrumentality thereof, including a person appointed as a police officer by an institution of higher education pursuant to P.L.1970, c.211 (C. 18A:6-4.2 et seq.), shall serve as a member of a district board of elections, unless the person is off-duty, or serve as a duly authorized challenger for a political party or a candidate or on a public question in the municipality in which that person is employed, or if employed by an institution of higher education, any municipality in which the institution is physically located, or if employed by a county or the State, in the county in which that person is employed or stationed, respectively, or wear a police officer’s uniform or carry an exposed weapon at any time, including at a polling place on an election day. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prohibit a police officer who is a candidate for an office and whose name appears upon the ballot to be voted for an election from acting as a challenger during that election as may be permitted by another provision of law for a candidate to act as a challenger.

b. No person employed as a police officer as described in subsection a. of this section, whether on or off-duty or whether in or out of uniform, shall remain or stand within 100 feet of a polling place during the conduct of an election unless present at the location in response to a request for assistance in accordance with R.S.19:6-16 or as otherwise provided herein or pursuant to this act, P.L.2021 c.459.

c. Nothing herein shall be interpreted to prohibit a police officer or law enforcement officer from:

traveling to and from, or remaining within, their personal residence if that residence is within 100 feet of a polling place;

voting at that polling place in a personal capacity; or

escorting to or from, or both, a polling place a person who may require assistance of the officer.

L.1991,c.306,s.2; amended 2021, c.459, s.2.

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