Permits county board of elections to begin canvassing early votes before election day under certain conditions; permits county board of elections to begin counting mail-in ballots as mail-in ballots are received by county board.

This bill (NJ A2670) allows New Jersey county election boards to begin processing early votes 24 hours after early voting ends and to count mail-in ballots as they are received by the county, rather than waiting until election day. It requires counties to implement security measures to protect vote secrecy during early processing and mandates that all early vote and mail-in ballot results remain confidential until polls close on election day. The bill also extends criminal penalties (third-degree crime) for unauthorized disclosure of early vote results, mirroring existing rules for mail-in ballots. These changes aim to streamline election administration while maintaining security and confidentiality.