Bill
A 5356
Allows county boards of elections to extend no-electioneering zones up to 200 feet from polling sites or ballot drop boxes, with posted notices and penalties.
Note on materials provided
- The bill title you gave (“Directs the office of mental health to conduct a study…”) does not match the text and committee reports supplied, which all address electioneering restrictions around polling places and ballot drop boxes. The summary below follows the bill text and committee reports included in your materials (the electioneering measure).
Bill at a glance
- Bill number: A5356 (1st Reprint)
- Primary sponsor: Assemblyman Eddie Gibbs
- Subject: Allows county boards of elections to extend the distance within which electioneering is prohibited outside polling places, polling rooms, and ballot drop boxes
- Introduced: Feb. 25, 2025
- Status / recent actions: Reported out of Assembly State & Local Government Committee with amendments (Mar. 20, 2025); reported out by Assembly Appropriations Committee (May 15, 2025, 1R); substituted by S3850 (1R) on May 22, 2025. Identical to S3850.
Purpose and intent
- To give county boards of elections discretion to enlarge the area around polling places, polling rooms, and active ballot drop boxes where electioneering is prohibited, in order to regulate campaign activity and messaging near voting sites.
Key provisions
- Current law: electioneering is prohibited inside any polling place or room and within 100 feet of the outside entrance of a polling place/room or a ballot drop box in use during an election.
- Change proposed by A5356:
- Authorizes (does not require) county boards of elections to extend the prohibited-electioneering distance to up to 200 feet from the outside entrance of any polling place or room, or from a ballot drop box in use during the conduct of an election, within that county.
- Requires county boards that adopt an extended prohibition to post a “clear and conspicuous” notice outside the polling place/room or ballot drop box before the extended prohibition goes into effect. The notice must include the penalties for violating the prohibition.
- Establishes that a person who violates an electioneering prohibition adopted under the bill will be guilty of a crime of the same degree as currently applies to violations of the existing 100-foot prohibition.
- Committee amendments: technical updates to align a referenced statutory section with its current law version.
Who would be affected
- County boards of elections: gain discretionary authority to set larger no-electioneering zones and are responsible for posting required notices.
- Voters and the public: potentially fewer campaigners, signs, or partisan activity within expanded buffer zones around polling locations and drop boxes.
- Candidates, campaigns, advocacy groups, and poll watchers: may be limited in where they can campaign or distribute materials on election days, depending on county action.
- Law enforcement/municipal officials: responsible for enforcing the extended restrictions and related criminal penalties where adopted.
Procedural / timeline notes
- Reported favorably with committee amendments by the Assembly State & Local Government Committee (Mar. 20, 2025).
- Reported by Assembly Appropriations Committee as 1R (May 15, 2025).
- Substituted by S3850 (1R) on May 22, 2025; A5356 (1R) reported identical to S3850.
- Not certified as requiring a fiscal note by the Appropriations Committee.
Potential considerations and impacts
- Operational: county boards must manage signage/notice posting and enforcement logistics if they expand buffer zones.
- Legal/constitutional: expanding no-electioneering zones may raise First Amendment concerns or litigation risk in some circumstances (not addressed in the bill text).
- Election administration: could reduce voter exposure to campaign messaging immediately outside polling sites, potentially affecting voter experience and campaign strategies.
Related legislation
- S3850 (companion; reported and substituted)
- S6287 (companion)
If you want, I can:
- Summarize S3850 to confirm identical or divergent language;
- Pull the current statutory citation and the exact criminal degree for violating the 100-foot prohibition so the penalty can be specified.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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