New Jersey Attorney General Tells Police That Election Officials, Not Officers, Run the Polls
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport's guidance for the November 3 election restates that civilian election officials administer elections and keep order at the polls, with police held at the distance state law sets.
New Jersey's attorney general has reminded law enforcement across the state who runs an election. Attorney General Jennifer Davenport issued updated guidance to law enforcement officials ahead of the November 3 general election, and in an October 19 memorandum to county prosecutors and law enforcement executives she emphasized that civilian election officials, not police officers, hold the responsibility for administering elections and maintaining order, according to the published reporting on the guidance read by this desk.
The guidance sits on top of rules voters can already see at the polls. Under a 2022 state law, police officers are not allowed within 100 feet of a polling location in New Jersey, and wearing campaign memorabilia or insignia within 100 feet of a polling place is illegal. Voters, in other words, should expect poll workers - not officers - to be the officials managing lines, machines and challenges inside the voting area.
Early voting for the general election ends Sunday, November 1, and Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, with polls open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. New Jersey voters are deciding a U.S. Senate seat and all 12 of the state's U.S. House seats. The guidance is the state's standing framework for a high-turnout election, and no incident at a New Jersey polling place had been reported in the sources read by this desk this cycle.
