NJ S3853

Expands post-election audit methods beyond hand-to-eye counts to include independent third-party electronic machines not associated with the official ballot tabulation system

Requires third-party audit machines to be certified by a National Institute of Standards and Technology certified laboratory or U.S. Election Assistance Commission accredited voting system test laboratory, tested at least 24 hours before audit unit selection

Transfers responsibility for randomly selecting election districts and audit units from the Secretary of State to county boards of elections

Maintains requirement for audits in at least 2% of election districts for federal, state, and selected county/municipal offices, with results announced publicly before election certification

Establishes parallel audit procedures for machine-based audits, including cumulative vote tally reports, public observation requirements, and triggers for expanded audits when discrepancies exceed 0.1% of counted votes