NJ may push 18-year-olds to become mail-in voters

Coming off a presidential election with a relatively low turnout in the Garden State, legislators are moving ahead with a proposed law that aims to increase the number of ballots cast on Election Day, particularly among New Jersey's youngest voters.

Under a bill advanced by a Senate committee, when a registered voter turns 18, their county clerk would be required to send them a vote-by-mail application.

If the recipient were to go through with the application, future votes can be submitted through the mail, at a drop box, or in-person to election officials.

Anyone who's signed up for a mail-in ballot would have to fill out a provisional ballot if they were to show up at the polls to vote in person on Election Day or during an early voting period.

"This bill is an attempt to get young voters voting on a consistent basis, and just make it as easy as possible," Sen. James Beach, D-Camden, told New Jersey 101.5.

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Beach noted that many of New Jersey's youngest voters may be living away from home — at college, for example — on Election Day. Signing up as a mail-in voter, he said, would eliminate obstacles to casting a vote.

"I think the potential positives far exceed whatever negatives there might be, which is the cost of a stamp," Beach said.

Sixty-five percent of eligible New Jerseyans cast a ballot in this year's elections, bill sponsors said. That's the lowest turnout for a presidential race in the state's history.

New Jersey allows individuals to register to vote at age 17, as long as they'll be 18 on the date of the next general election.

“It is so important to get young people involved in civic life,” said Sen. Andrew Zwicker, D-Middlesex. “Studies have shown that when people start voting young, they form a habit and continue to do so throughout their lives."

The bill was advanced by the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee on Dec. 16 by a vote of 4-0.

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