A Governor’s Legacy: Fewer Shootings, More Movies and a Pandemic

During Mr. Murphy’s terms, New Jersey expanded early voting options and restored voting rights to people on probation or parole. Citizens can also automatically register to vote at certain government agencies, including the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Mr. Murphy has granted more than 300 clemencies, and on Sunday he issued an executive order to allow people to serve on juries after completing their sentences for crimes that predate the order, ending a lifetime ban.

“In a climate where democracy was under attack, both at the beginning of his tenure as governor and now at the end, he partnered with us,” said Ryan P. Haygood, the president of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. “He had a heart for social and racial justice issues.”

New Jersey has also reduced its jail and prison population roughly 50 percent since 2011. That decline is tied to the legalization of marijuana in 2020, the elimination of cash bail during former Gov. Chris Christie’s term and a novel law that granted prisoners credit for early release during the Covid-19 pandemic.