Voting Rights Advocates Urge Governor Sherrill to Reject Voter ID Laws in New Jersey

NEWARK – In response to recent statements from Gov. Mikie Sherrill, several voting rights advocates sent her a letter today calling for her to firmly and unequivocally reject the notion of voter ID laws in New Jersey.

“Voter ID laws do nothing but construct barriers to the ballot and suppress voter turnout,” the letter said. “Even the mere discussion of this is exacerbating confusion and anxiety among New Jersey voters, leaving them unsure of what they must do in order to vote. The last thing we should be doing, especially in this moment, is passing our own suppressive laws that make it harder to vote and sow distrust among voters. At this pivotal moment, we cannot afford to give the proponents of the SAVE America Act, or of any other spurious attack on our democracy, even an inch.”

A recent study by the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement found that nearly 29 million U.S. citizens of voting age lack a valid driver’s license and over 7 million have no other form of non-expired government-issued photo ID. Of these, young people aged 18-29 and people of color are less likely to have valid photo ID. Citizens of color are almost four times more likely than white citizens to not have a current government-issued ID.

“There are many reasons people may not have valid photo ID,” the letter said. “For example, they might not have access to the many identification documents, like birth certificates or social security cards, needed to apply for one.”

Advocates also point out that the cost to secure ID for voting can be prohibitively expensive for many residents “and given New Jersey’s $600,000 racial wealth gap – one of the highest in the nation – that economic burden would fall disproportionately on Black and other people of color.”

The letter also explains that New Jersey already has identification requirements.

“In order to register to vote, potential voters must provide a driver’s license number or the last four digits of their social security number, along with their address. If a voter cannot be verified, they are asked to show ID when they first go to cast their vote. We do not need voter ID requirements stricter than this at registration or at the polls.”

To read the full letter, click here.