Garden State Times

The Senate Labor Committee has approved a bipartisan bill sponsored by Senator Kristin Corrado, representing the 40th District. The legislation aims to encourage more individuals to participate as poll workers from early voting through Election Day.

Senator Corrado emphasized the importance of this initiative, stating, "This bill sends a clear message that participating in our democracy shouldn’t come at a cost." She highlighted the reliance on dedicated poll workers to ensure every vote is counted during early voting, on Election Day, and when processing mail-in ballots. According to her, many potential poll workers are deterred due to concerns about losing unemployment benefits. The proposed legislation seeks to address this issue by exempting wages earned by poll workers from affecting their unemployment compensation.

The bill in question, S-900, proposes an amendment to existing law. This amendment would guarantee that earnings from working at polls or processing mail-in ballots do not impact unemployment benefits.

For those interested in further details, the full text of the bill is available online.