TRENTON — After some New Jersey schools switched to remote learning on Tuesday as a primary daytime safety measure, two lawmakers said they drafted legislation that would change current law to allow police in those buildings s ‘they are used as polling places.

A state law enacted earlier this year prohibits police from voting, to ensure residents — especially members of minorities who might feel more nervous about interactions with police — aren’t discouraged from voting. vote.

MP Gerry Scharfenberger and MP Vicky Flynn, both R-Monmouth, said police should be allowed to protect schools used for elections, as part of a focus on school safety after the massacre in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

“Having law enforcement at the polls is simply a common sense idea that will give voters a level of comfort in uncertain times,” Scharfenberger said. “It becomes even more imperative when we talk about voting booths located in our schools and to suggest otherwise or prevent the police from doing their job is outrageous.”

“There’s no one reason why we shouldn’t make protecting children and our schools the top priority every day,” Flynn said. “We have an obligation to do everything in our power to protect the children of this state. Their safety is paramount, and this legislation is a step in the right direction to ensure that is our primary focus.

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In January, the Legislative Assembly narrowly passed a bill signed by Gov. Phil Murphy that limits police presence within 100 feet of polling places unless they are called there to respond to a incident. The votes were 21–16 in the Senate and 44–29 with one vote to abstain in the Assembly.

Sen. Kristin Corrado, R-Passaic, said the folly of this law is demonstrated with today’s move to remote learning in some schools serving as polling places.

“It’s beyond ridiculous that schools have to decide to stay open with no security present to comply with Governor Murphy’s ill-conceived law,” Corrado said.

“At a time when children have already fallen so far behind due to the pandemic, today has become a wasted day for education in many districts,” she said. “Our school districts should not be forced to choose between more learning loss or putting students and teachers at risk, which is exactly what is happening today. It’s not just stupid, it’s dangerous.

The law aims to prevent harassment and intimidation of voters. In 1981, the Republican National Committee established a National Ballot Security Task Force in New Jersey, in which armed and off-duty police patrolled minority neighborhoods and blocked voters in Newark and Trenton.

Democrats sued in 1982 and a consent decree prevented such activity in the future. It expired in 2017.

Michael Symons is the Statehouse Bureau Chief for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at [email protected]

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