Thursday, January 15, 2009

New Jersey Governor Signs Bill Permitting Adjustment of Election Dates

On Monday, New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine signed into law ACS 3186, a bill that permits the dates of municipal elections and school board elections to be adjusted to avoid conflicts with religious holidays. The bill applies to an an election if it "coincides with a period of religious observance that limits significantly the usual activities of the followers of a particular religion or that would result in significant religious consequences for such followers." A press release by Assembly Democrats says the bill was introduced after an Edison (NJ) school bond vote coincided with the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. [Thanks to Joel Katz for the lead.]