ACLU-NJ Celebrates Signing of John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey

NEWARK – Governor Sherrill today signed into law the John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey (S282/A1715), a state-level Voting Rights Act that will protect and expand access to voting in the Garden State. This major victory for voting rights is the result of years of advocacy from communities and impact groups across the state – the ACLU of New Jersey and its partners in the NJVRA NOW Coalition first called for the passage of the initial version of this bill in 2022.

The following statement can be attributed to Alejandra Sorto, Associate Director of Civic Engagement for the ACLU of New Jersey:

“We are grateful to Governor Sherrill for signing into law the John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey, which will expand ballot access and enact some of the strongest state-level protections against tactics that suppress and dilute the political power of voters of color. We’ve seen the impact of the deliberate destruction of the federal Voting Rights Act – the racial turnout gap has consistently grown across the country in the last decade, including here in New Jersey. As the federal judiciary relentlessly erodes voting protections, this bill takes meaningful steps to safeguard and strengthen our democracy and cements New Jersey as a national leader on voting rights."