Common Dreams’ Jessica Corbett Reports
Pro-democracy and criminal justice reform advocates celebrated Wednesday as Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill restoring the voting rights of tens of thousands of state residents on parole and probation, following the lead of over a dozen other states that allow those individuals to participate in political elections.
“On this historic day, New Jersey has lifted my colleague Ron Pierce—a veteran, husband, and college graduate—and 83,000 ghosts of democracy out of the shadows so that they can finally be seen, heard, and represented,” Ryan P. Haygood, president and CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice (NJISJ), said in a statement.