No Vote On Bill To Scrap Special Election

A bill that would scrap the Oct. 16 special election did not come up for a vote in the state Senate Monday.

The bill, S-2857, seeks to eliminate the option of calling for a special election in cases where a seat is vacated, requiring instead that the governor appoint someone from the same party to hold the seat until the next scheduled general election.

The bill is sponsored by state Sen. Shirley Turner (D-15) a vocal opponent of Gov. Chris Christie’s decision to hold a special election for the U.S. Senate seat on a Wednesday in October, instead of three weeks later during the regular Nov. 5 polling.

It is estimated that the cost of the special general election, and an accompanying primary election scheduled for Aug. 13., will cost approximately $24 million. Counties throughout New Jersey are sweating about the additional, unexpected cost.

“There is no way in this budget to pay for $24 million for these special elections. I’ve heard from counties that are going to have to pay even more for these two elections,’’ Turner said on the floor of the Senate Monday before a vote on the state’s budget. “These are thing that I do worry about it the taxpayer in the end will be shouldering these unnecessary costs.”

Turner's bill was on Monday's Senate voting agenda, but the session closed without bringing up the bill. No explanation was immediately available Monday. Turner's office staff was unsure whether the bill was coming up for a vote Monday, but offered no further detail.

A similar bill is pending in the state Assembly, sponsored by Assemblyman Louis Greenwald (D-6). The bill, A4249, would give voters the option of casting ballots early for the Nov. 5 general election during the Oct. 16 polling.

It’s a bill supported by NJ Citizen Action, a government watchdog group that filed a brief in support of the legal challenge to the special election struck down by the state Supreme Court last week.

“We don’t think (the bill) a perfect solution, but it takes care of some of the issues,” Ann Vardeman, of NJ Citizen Action, has said.

Even if all the bills passed through the Legislature, they still require Christie’s signature, which is unlikely.