In Open Letter Published in Star-Ledger, Institute and NJVRA Coalition Call for Voting Legislation

“As we stand days away from one of the most consequential elections of our time, it’s clearer than ever that we must step up and protect our democracy,” said Nuzhat Chowdhury, Senior Counsel in the Democracy & Justice Program at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. “With the federal Voting Rights Act gutted and voting rights under attack across America, New Jersey – like several other states have done – must pass its own voter protection law. So far, New Jersey has failed to act, putting voters across the state – especially those of color – at risk. We must protect our rights before we lose them. We must pass and sign the John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey immediately.”

The John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act (A4083/S3009) would:

• Establish a New Jersey preclearance program that makes local governments with a history of discrimination receive approval from the Attorney General’s office or a court in New Jersey before enacting certain changes to voting policies and procedures, to ensure those changes will not harm voters of color;

• Provide new legal tools to fight discriminatory voting rules and procedures in court;

• Expand language access and assistance for voters with limited English proficiency;

• Include strong protections against voter intimidation, deception or obstruction at the polls;

• Create a centralized database of voting and election information for public access; and

• Ensure local and state voting laws, procedures and regulations do not deny voters of color and other protected categories of voters the right to cast their vote.

To view the open letter and for more information, visit here.