Increases daily compensation for election workers and increases additional compensation rate for election workers managing signature copy registers.
S4346 increases the per-election compensation paid to district board election workers in New Jersey from $300 to $400 for service at primary, general, and special elections. It also raises the extra payment for workers assigned to obtain and return signature copy registers, increasing the add-on from $12.50 to $20 for one worker, or from $6.25 to $10 each if two workers share the task. The bill keeps existing rules that allow counties to provide additional discretionary compensation and that tie pay for certain training-related failures to the State minimum wage.
The bill also amends the State reimbursement formula for counties. Under current law, the State reimburses counties $225 of the $300 election-worker payment; S4346 would increase that reimbursement to $325 of the new $400 payment, leaving the county share at $75. The bill takes effect 60 days after enactment and applies to the statutes governing district board compensation and county reimbursement for election administration costs.
S4346 amends R.S.19:45-6 and P.L.2001, c.245 (C.19:45-6.2), directly changing the statutory compensation structure for district board members who work elections. It raises the mandatory daily rate, increases the special compensation for handling signature copy registers, and updates the State-county reimbursement split so counties remain responsible for the same $75 share while the State covers the higher balance. The bill affects election workers, county election administrators, and county budgets, while also indirectly increasing State reimbursement obligations.
Based on the bill text and available context, the measure appears generally supportive of election workers by increasing pay for essential election-day duties. There are no recorded committee transcripts or votes in the provided materials, so no formal opposition or support is documented here. The bill’s framing suggests a straightforward compensation adjustment rather than a controversial policy change.
The main policy issue is fiscal: the bill shifts more of the total election-worker compensation cost to the State by increasing reimbursement levels, while preserving the county share at $75 per worker per election. Counties may also be affected by any optional additional compensation they choose to provide, but that remains discretionary. Another possible point of discussion is whether the increase is sufficient to address recruitment and retention of election workers, though no specific objections or competing viewpoints are included in the provided record.