Board of Elections approves temporary 200-foot electioneering buffer for Piscataway

The Middlesex County Board of Elections voted to temporarily extend the electioneering prohibited zone from 100 feet to 200 feet at Piscataway polling locations, drop boxes and early‑voting sites for the upcoming election after a motion from the board and a roll‑call vote.

The change follows the recent enactment of “Senate Bill 30 c 50,” which, according to a board report, was signed into law by Governor Murphy and permits the board of elections “to extend the distance within electioneering prohibited from 100 to 200 feet at the discretion of the board of elections during early voting and election day as well as drop box locations.” The board received a letter from the Piscataway municipal clerk requesting the larger buffer for that municipality.

Board members debated whether to apply a 200‑foot rule countywide or only for Piscataway. Commissioner Katz said she was “not inclined to make any change,” adding concern that a 200‑foot buffer "essentially limits any right to campaign" at many polling places. Other commissioners said the request by a municipal clerk merited consideration and that a single‑town approval would allow the board to monitor results before changing policy countywide. One commissioner described Piscataway as "the only entity that asks for it now," and called the town a potential "guinea pig" to see how the change works.

An administrator on staff said training materials and notifications to clerks and poll workers would need to be updated if the board applied the 200‑foot buffer more broadly, and that poll worker training begins at the end of the month.

The board’s motion, described at the meeting as temporary and limited to Piscataway for the upcoming election, was seconded and then decided by roll call. The roll call recorded the following votes: Chairwoman Engel — no; Commissioner Jones — yes; Commissioner Katz — no; Commissioner Moskowitz — yes; Commissioner Benjovino — no; Commissioner Snow — yes; Commissioner Jowell — yes. The board adopted the temporary change.

Public commenters opposed and supported the measure. Charlie Cradoville, a resident who identified himself during public comment, urged commissioners not to approve the change without seeking broader input from political parties and studying specific polling‑place maps, saying the item had not been advertised on the agenda. Other public commenters described practical problems at specific early‑voting sites and urged clearer explanations from the municipal clerk about the reasons for the request.

The board noted the discretion granted by the new state law and said the board could revisit the decision after the election. Several commissioners said they favored granting Piscataway’s request now but keeping the change temporary so the board could evaluate complaints or operational issues before applying any change countywide.

No changes to training or countywide policy were adopted at the meeting; the action approved was limited to Piscataway and described by the board as temporary for the immediate election cycle.

The board also heard public comment on other election matters during the same meeting, including poll worker training and a citizen concern about voter registration/address use at a UPS store; those items were discussed but did not result in formal board actions during this session.