Senator Kristin Corrado’s (R-Bergen, Essex and Passaic) bill that would help recruit more people to work the polls from early voting through Election Day passed the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

“This bill sends a clear message that participating in our democracy shouldn’t come at a cost,” said Sen. Corrado. “Counties rely on committed poll workers to ensure every vote is counted during early voting, on Election Day, and when processing mail-in ballots, yet too many people are discouraged from stepping up due to the risk of losing their unemployment benefits. By exempting poll workers’ wages from reducing an individual’s unemployment compensation, we can promote more civic engagement and strengthen our election process.”

Sen. Corrado’s bipartisan bill, S-1116, would amend an existing law to ensure that wages earned by poll workers or for processing mail-in ballots won’t reduce unemployment benefits.

You can read the full text of the bill online here.