19:61-1 Findings, declarations relative to elections.

1. The Legislature finds and declares:

a. The "Help America Vote Act of 2002," Pub.L.107-252, was enacted by Congress and signed into law by President Bush on October 29, 2002.

b. The new federal law, based upon recommendations by several national study commissions including the National Commission on Federal Election Reform, resulted from a consensus that the nation's electoral system needs improvements to ensure that every eligible voter has the opportunity to vote, that every vote will be counted that should be counted, and that no legal vote will be canceled by a fraudulent vote.

c. Accordingly, the "Help America Vote Act of 2002" authorizes substantial amounts of federal aid to the states to fund the purchase of more reliable voting systems, and mandates changes in the conduct of federal elections in all states to ensure greater access to the polls by individuals with disabilities, to provide more information for individuals who wish to vote and better training of poll workers, and to reduce the possibility of fraud.

d. The "Help America Vote Act of 2002" also clearly defines the rights and privileges of those eligible individuals who seek to vote, including all overseas and military service voters, and seeks to prevent disenfranchisement due to mistaken determinations of ineligibility to vote, the use of outdated voting systems that are unreliable or insufficiently accessible for disabled voters, or unnecessary administrative obstacles.

e. The purpose of P.L.2004, c.88 (C.19:61-1 et al.) is to begin the process of implementing the changes in New Jersey's election law required by the "Help America Vote Act of 2002" to accomplish the purposes described above, providing a fair, deliberative and consensus-oriented process for enacting election reform required by the federal law, and ensure the timely fulfillment by this State of all requirements for eligibility to receive appropriated federal funds.

L.2004,c.88,s.1.