S3759

An Act concerning the process for filling certain vacancies in nominations for public office and amending R.S.19:13-20.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. R.S.19:13-20 is amended to read as follows:

19:13-20. In the event of a vacancy, howsoever caused, among candidates nominated for any public office at a primary election for the general election, which vacancy shall occur not later than the 70th day before the general election, or in the event of inability to select a candidate because of a tie vote at such primary, a candidate shall be selected in the following manner:

a. (1) In the case of an office to be filled by the voters of the entire State, the candidate shall be selected by the State committee of the political party wherein such vacancy has occurred.

(2) In the case of an office to be filled by the voters of a single and entire county, the candidate shall be selected by the county committee in such county of the political party wherein such vacancy has occurred.

(3) In the case of an office to be filled by the voters of a portion of the State comprising all or part of two or more counties, the candidate shall be selected by those members of the county committees of the party wherein the vacancy has occurred who represent those portions of the respective counties which are comprised in the district from which the candidate is to be elected.

(4) In the case of an office to be filled by the voters of a portion of a single county, the candidate shall be selected by those members of the county committee of the party wherein the vacancy has occurred who represent those portions of the county which are comprised in the district from which the candidate is to be elected.

At any meeting held for the selection of a candidate under this subsection, a majority of the persons eligible to vote thereat shall be required to be present for the conduct of any business, and no person shall be entitled to vote at that meeting who is appointed to the State committee or county committee after the [seventh day preceding the date of the meeting] occurrence of the vacancy.

Any person who is qualified to fill a vacancy and who is interested in being selected as a candidate to fill a vacancy pursuant to this section shall notify, in writing, the committee or committees responsible for filling the vacancy at least seven days in advance of the meeting to fill the vacancy, as further provided in this section. Any person who has so notified the committee or committees of the person’s interest in being selected as a candidate shall be permitted to seek and retain legal representation throughout the selection process, and shall be notified of such right immediately upon receipt of the person’s notice of interest provided pursuant to this subsection.

Within [20] 45 days after the meeting of each county committee that is held on the first Tuesday following the primary election at which committee members are elected, the municipal clerk shall certify to the county clerk an official list of the duly elected county committee members and an official list of the municipal committee chairs. The county party chairperson shall have a continuing duty to report to the county clerk any vacancies, resignations, and committee positions filled pursuant to R.S.19:5-2 or 19:5-3. A report of a resignation shall be accompanied by a notarized letter of resignation signed by the resigning committee member or, if the resigning committee member fails to provide such a letter, by a notarized letter stating that the resignation has occurred signed by the chair of the relevant municipal committee who shall also provide a copy thereof to the resigning member. Notice of vacancies in the membership of a county committee that are filled pursuant to R.S.19:5-2 or 19:5-3 shall be accompanied by a certificate of acceptance signed by the newly selected member. The official list of the county committee members and of the municipal committee chairs maintained by the county clerk shall be deemed to be a government record and [only] shall include accurate email addresses and phone numbers for all committee members. This list shall be posted on the official Internet website of each respective committee, and shall be provided to all persons who have notified the committee of their interest in being selected as a candidate in accordance with this section within 72 hours of the person so notifying the committee, in order to ensure transparency and accuracy in the selection process. Only those county committee members listed thereon [seven days prior to a selection to fill a] at the time of the occurrence of the vacancy and otherwise qualified to vote on the vacancy shall be entitled to vote on filling a vacancy pursuant to this section. The county clerk shall provide a final and complete list of such qualified members to each person who has notified the committee of their interest in being selected as a candidate immediately upon request or on or before the seventh day preceding the meeting to fill the vacancy. Any person being considered for selection as a candidate may object to the qualifications of any member appearing on the final list, to the extent permissible and in accordance with the applicable procedures, as established by the committee’s bylaws.

In addition, every person appointed to the county committee shall file with the county clerk a certificate of acceptance which shall be preserved by the county clerk as a government record.

In the case of a meeting held to select a candidate for other than a Statewide office, the chairperson of the meeting shall be chosen by majority vote of the persons present and entitled to vote thereat. [The chairperson so chosen may propose rules to govern the determination of credentials and the procedures under which the meeting shall be conducted, and those rules shall be adopted upon a majority vote of the persons entitled to vote upon the selection. If a majority vote is not obtained for those rules, the delegates shall determine credentials and conduct the business of the meeting under such other rules as may be adopted by a majority vote] The rules governing the selection and voting process shall be in accordance with the committee bylaws and shall provide for the use of electronic or machine voting procedures, to the maximum extent practicable. The rules shall be provided to all persons who have notified the committee of their interest in being selected as a candidate not later than 24 hours in advance of the vote to select a candidate.

All contested votes taken at the selection meeting, as referenced in subsections a. and b. of this section, and including votes for the chairperson of the meeting, shall be by secret ballot in a location or manner that protects the anonymity of the person's vote. The conduct of all contested votes, and the participation of committee members therein, shall be in accordance with ethical standards that ensure the integrity of the nomination process, as provided by the committee bylaws.

b. (1) Whenever in accordance with subsection a. of this section members of two or more county committees are empowered to select a candidate to fill a vacancy, it shall be the responsibility of the chairpersons of said county committees, acting jointly not later in any case than the seventh day following the occurrence of the vacancy, to give notice to each of the members of their respective committees, as certified by the county clerk, who are so empowered of the date, time and place of the meeting at which the selection will be made, that meeting to be held at least one day following the date on which the notice is given.

(2) Whenever in accordance with the provisions of subsection a. of this section members of a county committee are empowered to select a candidate to fill a vacancy, it shall be the responsibility of the chairperson of such county committee, not later in any case than the seventh day following the occurrence of the vacancy, to give notice to each of the members of the committee, as certified by the county clerk, who are so empowered of the date, time and place of the meeting at which the selection will be made, that meeting to be held at least one day following the date on which the notice is given.

(3) A county committee chairperson or chairpersons who call a meeting pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2) of this subsection shall not be entitled to vote upon the selection of a candidate at such meeting unless he or she or they are so entitled pursuant to subsection a.

(4) Whenever in accordance with the provisions of subsection a. of this section the State committee of a political party is empowered to select a candidate to fill a vacancy, it shall be the responsibility of the chairperson of that State committee to give notice to each of the members of the committee of the date, time and place of the meeting at which the selection will be made, that meeting to be held at least one day following the date on which the notice is given.

c. Whenever a selection is to be made pursuant to this section to fill a vacancy resulting from inability to select a candidate because of a tie vote at a primary election for the general election, the selection shall be made from among those who have thus received the same number of votes at the primary.

d. A selection made pursuant to this section shall be made not later than the 68th day preceding the date of the general election, and a statement of such selection shall be filed with the Secretary of State or the appropriate county clerk, as the case may be, not later than that day, and in the following manner:

(1) A selection made by a State committee of a political party shall be certified to the Secretary of State by the State chairperson of the political party.

(2) A selection made by a county committee of a political party, or a portion of the members thereof, shall be certified to the county clerk of the county by the county chairperson of such political party; except that when such selection is of a candidate for the Senate or General Assembly or the United States House of Representatives the county chairperson shall certify the selection to the State chairperson of such political party, who shall certify the same to the Secretary of State.

(3) A selection made by members of two or more county committees of a political party acting jointly shall be certified by the chairpersons of said committees, acting jointly, to the State chairperson of such political party, who shall certify the same to the Secretary of State.

e. A statement filed pursuant to subsection d. of this section shall state the residence and post office address of the person so selected, and shall certify that the person so selected is qualified under the laws of this State to be a candidate for such office, and is a member of the political party filling the vacancy. Accompanying the statement, the person endorsed therein shall file a certificate stating that he or she is qualified under the laws of this State to be a candidate for the office mentioned in the statement, that he or she consents to stand as a candidate at the ensuing general election and that he or she is a member of the political party named in said statement, and further that he or she is not a member of, or identified with, any other political party or any political organization espousing the cause of candidates of any other political party, to which shall be annexed the oath of allegiance prescribed in R.S.41:1-1 duly taken and subscribed by him or her before an officer authorized to take oaths in this State. The person so selected shall be the candidate of the party for such office at the ensuing general election. Each candidate for the office of Governor or the office of member of the Senate or General Assembly filing a certification shall annex thereto a statement signed by the candidate that he or she:

(1) has not been convicted of any offense graded by Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes as a crime of the first, second, third or fourth degree, or any offense in any other jurisdiction which, if committed in this State, would constitute such a crime; or

(2) has been so convicted, in which case, the candidate shall disclose on the statement the crime for which convicted, the date and place of the conviction and the penalties imposed for the conviction. Such a candidate may, as an alternative, submit with the statement a copy of an official document that provides such information. If the candidate has been convicted of more than one criminal offense, such information about each conviction shall be provided. Records expunged pursuant to chapter 52 of Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes shall not be subject to disclosure.

(cf: P.L.2023, c.124, s.3)

2. This act shall take effect January 1 next following the date of enactment.

STATEMENT

This bill makes changes to the process for filling vacancies in the nominations of political parties for candidates for public office.

The bill allows qualified persons to submit their names for consideration to fill the vacancy, and ensures that all qualified persons who have notified the appropriate political committee or committees of their interest in being selected as a candidate for the nomination for which there is a vacancy will be permitted to seek and retain legal representation throughout the selection process.

The bill also extends the timeframe for municipal clerks to certify to their respective county clerks an official list of the duly elected county committee members and an official list of the municipal committee chairs from 20 days after the meeting of each county committee that is held on the first Tuesday following the primary election at which committee members are elected. Under the bill, the municipal clerks will have 45 days following the meeting to certify the official list to the county clerk. This list is considered a government record accessible to the public, and this bill would require that the list include accurate email addresses and phone numbers for all committee members. The bill further requires that the list will be posted on the committee’s Internet website and that it be provided to any person who has notified the committee of their interest in being selected as a candidate for a vacancy in a nomination for public office upon the committee’s receipt of such notification.

The bill also requires that a final and complete list of qualified members be provided to each person who has notified the committee of their interest in being selected as a candidate not later than seven days prior to the committee’s vote to fill a vacancy. Any person being considered for selection as a candidate may object to the qualifications of any member appearing on the final list, to the extent permissible and in accordance with the applicable procedures, as established by the committee’s bylaws.

The bill provides that the meeting held to select a candidate to fill a vacancy in a nomination for public office will be held in accordance with rules for conducting such a meeting as established by the committee’s bylaws, and requires that such rules be provided to any person who has notified the committee of their interest in being selected to fill the vacancy not later than 24 hours prior to the vote. Under current law, the rules for conducting such vote to fill a vacancy may be proposed by the chair of the meeting, at the meeting to fill the vacancy.

Finally, the bill provides that the conduct of all contested votes to select a candidate for nomination will be held in accordance with ethical standards that ensure the integrity of the nomination process, as provided by the committee bylaws.