19:31-2 Commissioner of registration.

19:31-2. In all counties having a superintendent of elections, the superintendent of elections is hereby constituted the commissioner of registration and in all other counties the secretary of the county board is hereby constituted the commissioner of registration.

The commissioner of registration shall have complete charge of the registration of all eligible voters within their respective counties. Pursuant to the provisions of section 2 of P.L.2005, c.145 (C.19:31-32), the commissioner of registration shall be responsible for adding to, deleting from, amending and maintaining the records of persons registered to vote in the commissioner's county contained in the Statewide voter registration system established pursuant to section 1 of that act.

The commissioner of registration shall have power to appoint temporarily, and the commissioner of registration in counties of the first class having more than 800,000 inhabitants shall have power to appoint on a permanent, or temporary basis, such number of persons, as in the commissioner's judgment may be necessary in order to carry out the provisions of this Title. All persons appointed by the commissioner of registration in counties of the first class having more than 850,000 inhabitants according to the latest federal decennial census to serve for terms of more than six months in any one year shall be in the career service of the civil service and shall be appointed, and hold their positions, in accordance with the provisions of Title 11A, Civil Service. All persons appointed by the commissioner of registration in counties of the first class having more than 600,000 but less than 850,000 inhabitants according to the latest federal decennial census to serve for terms of more than six months in any one year, other than the chief deputy and chief clerk and confidential secretary and chief custodian, shall be in the career service of the civil service and shall be appointed and hold their positions, in accordance with the provisions of Title 11A, Civil Service. Persons appointed by the commissioner of registration in such counties to serve for terms of six months or less in any one year and persons appointed by the commissioner of registration shall not be subject to any of the provisions of Title 11A, Civil Service, but shall be in the unclassified service.

In each county the commissioner of registration shall submit to the Attorney General on or before February 15 of each year a plan providing for evening registration for the primary election and on or before July 1 plans providing for evening registration for the general election, which plans shall be subject to approval by the Attorney General. Evening registration shall be made available in the office of each commissioner of registration between the hours of 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. on the 21st day preceding the primary and general elections and, in any year in which municipal elections are to be held in any municipality within the county, on the 21st day preceding those municipal elections.

In each county, the commissioner of registration may also establish a plan for out-of-office registration, including door-to-door registration.

Nothing in this section shall preclude the commissioner from providing pursuant to plan evening registration in excess of the requirements of this section, or shall preclude or in any way limit out-of-office registration conducted by persons or groups other than the commissioner.

The commissioner of registration shall provide such printed forms, blanks, supplies and office telephone and transportation equipment as are necessary in the opinion of the commissioner to carry out the provisions of this Title and any amendments or supplements thereto.

Subject to the limitations set forth in chapter 32 of this Title, all necessary expenses incurred, as and when certified and approved by the commissioner of registration shall be paid by the county treasurer of the county.

Nothing in the provisions of subtitle 2 of the Title, Municipalities and Counties (R.S.40:16-1 et seq.), shall in anywise be construed to affect, restrict or abridge the powers herein conferred on the commissioners of registration of the several counties.

All powers granted to the commissioner in all counties not having superintendents of elections by the provisions of this Title are hereby conferred on the county board in such counties and any and all duties conferred upon the commissioner in all counties not having a superintendent of elections by the provisions of this Title shall only be exercised and performed by such commissioner under the instructions and directions of and subject to the approval of the county board of such counties.

Amended 1940, c.165, s.1; 1941, c.275, s.8; 1947, c.168, s.17; 1952, c.290, ss.1,4-6; 1953, c.348, s.1; 1961, c.59, s.3; 1963, c.138, s.1; 1966, c.117, s.1; 1967, c.73, s.1; 1974, c.30, s.4; 1975, c.15, s.1; 1975, c.204, s.1; 1979, c.393; 1981, c.462, s.24; 1994, c.182, s.2; 2005, c.139, s.6; 2005, c.145, s.7.