Assemblyman Vincent Mazzeo, chairman of the Assembly State and Local Government Committee, released the following statement on the discussion of secure voting and elections held on Wednesday:
“New Jersey is only one of a handful of states that uses voting machines and does not provide a paper record, which makes it difficult to detect hacking. Since it is evident in the current climate we live in that no federal action will be taken to protect our voters, we must take it upon ourselves to preserve democracy by ensuring safety for voters and allowing them to fairly have a say in who their local and federal representatives are.
“By transitioning the State to a paper ballot voting system using optical scanners, we can prevent hacking and voter fraud. Today’s discussion on this proposed program was insightful and encouraged an open dialogue to help us understand how we can protect voting and elections in our State.
“I want to thank our invited speakers for their informative presentations and input. I look forward to continuing to learn about the benefits of this program.”