An Assembly panel will vote on a bill meant to protect voting rights from federal encroachment on Thursday.
The Assembly Appropriations Committee will consider the John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey, which would establish an independent Division of Voting Rights and give voters recourse in addressing violations of the right to vote. Proponents of the bill, like sponsoring Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-Trenton), say the legislation is needed to address President Donald Trump, who Democrats say is weakening the country’s democracy.
“Our vote is how we advocate for ourselves, our communities, and our country. Protecting that right is not a partisan issue,” Reynolds-Jackson said in a release. “It is a shared belief to [ensure] that every eligible New Jerseyan can participate in the civic process that shapes our daily lives.”
The bill, named for the late Georgia congressman and civil rights activist, precludes the state’s Attorney General’s Office from enforcing the state’s election laws, and instead moves that authority to the Division of Voting Rights. The bill would also require local election offices to prepare ballots for certain languages based on Census demographics, as well as protect the voting rights of racial, ethnic, and language minority groups.
Dozens of state advocacy groups, including the ACLU of New Jersey, the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, and the New Jersey Working Families Party, called on Gov. Mikie Sherrill to push for the legislation.
“Fiercely protecting New Jersey voters at a time when our democracy and our right to vote is being imperiled by the federal government would position New Jersey, and your Administration, as a national leader and bulwark against the ongoing attacks on our democracy,” they wrote. “It would also deliver on Lieutenant [Governor] Caldwell’s inspiring promise to defend voting rights, protect the integrity of our elections and ensure that every eligible New Jerseyan can participate freely, safely and confidently.”
The Appropriations Committee meets on Thursday at 1 p.m. in the Statehouse Annex. The Assembly State and Local Government Committee cleared the legislation in a party-line vote last month.