While New Jersey has taken recent steps to strengthen its democracy, barriers to voting still remain and are borne disproportionately by Black voters and other voters of color. The New Jersey Voting Rights Act would enact crucial protections to ensure that all voters can fully participate in the electoral process free from discrimination.
On the national level, we are seeing attacks, not progress, on voting rights. The Trump Administration’s Project 2025 agenda includes plans to undermine enforcement of protections against voting discrimination. Instead of strengthening these protections by enacting the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, leadership in Congress is pushing anti-voter legislation that will add more barriers to the ballot. And increasingly hostile federal courts—including the United States Supreme Court—have undercut the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. Six decades after the passage of this landmark civil rights law, the attacks continue.
By enacting the New Jersey Voting Rights Act, the Garden State can step up to protect its own voters and cement its national leadership on voting rights.
Black voters and other voters of color in New Jersey are more likely than white voters to face long lines and late poll openings, limited physical accessibility of polling locations, and limited language access. For example, in Newark, a majority-Black city and the most populous in the state, chronic logistical issues have burdened residents for years as they have regularly faced challenges at polling places without functional voting machines.
Voter accessibility continues to be a persistent challenge harming all voters, including Black voters and other voters of color, and all older voters and voters with disabilities in New Jersey. A recent U.S. Election Assistance Commission study found that turnout rates for New Jersey voters with disabilities in the 2020 elections were 7.5% lower than rates for voters without disabilities. This disparity is especially concerning in light of the fact that polling places in New Jersey are often inaccessible and do not comply with ADA requirements.
Language access is also a persistent barrier for New Jersey voters. The federal VRA requires translated election materials for those who have limited English proficiency. However, the protections only apply to a limited list of languages, and they set a minimum population threshold of 10,000 people or 5% of a jurisdiction’s population. As a result, a significant number of New Jersey voters do not receive voting materials in the language they speak—either because their community falls under the population threshold or because they speak a language, like Arabic, that’s not covered at all.
These discriminatory barriers have caused substantial disparities in both voter registration and turnout rates between New Jersey voters of color and white vote.
These types of barriers to ballot access can also lead to widening disparities in other aspects of life. This is particularly true in New Jersey, where large racial divides in key socioeconomic indicators further reinforce the need for voting rights reform. New Jersey’s communities of color disproportionately face high unemployment, high poverty rates, and less college education than their white counterparts and do not have equal opportunity to meaningfully engage and participate in the electoral process.
By enacting the NJVRA, New Jersey can address these stark disparities in voting access, voter turnout and socioeconomic indicators—and better protect the fundamental right to vote for all.
Addressing racial vote dilution – which occurs in unfair districts or election systems that weaken or drown out people’s voices based on their race – and addressing barriers that deny voting opportunities in a way that is efficient and effective for both voters and local governments within New Jersey.
Launching a “preclearance” program that requires local governments with records of discrimination to prove that certain voting changes won’t harm voters based on their race before these changes can go into effect.
Expanding language assistance for voters with limited English proficiency so every eligible voter can participate effectively
Implementing a central public repository for election and demographic data with the goal of fostering transparent, evidence-based practices in election administration.
Instructing judges to interpret state laws and rules in favor of robust and equal access to the ballot whenever possible.
If passed, the NJVRA will be one of the most comprehensive State Voting Rights Acts in the country, building on the successful passage of the NYVRA in New York, and the CTVRA in Connecticut, and other state VRAs on the books in California, Washington, Oregon, Virginia, and Minnesota, as well as recent efforts to enact similar legislation in states including Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, and Michigan.
Voting Rights
State VRAS can provide key protections to their constituents that prevent and guard against discriminatory voting practices and policies. Learn more about LDF’s work to advance state VRAs
LDF Original Content
A tandem approach of restoring and expanding federal voting rights legislation along with passing individual state VRAs is essential for providing the most robust voting protections for all voters.
LDF Original Content
How States with discriminatory maps have shirked their responsibilities to their constituents, paving the way for the passage of oppressive legislation.
LDF Reports
In 2022, LDF conducted civic engagement, election monitoring, and advocacy efforts in seven southern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas. Our monitoring and advocacy work identified that limitations on the ability of Black voters to access the ballot and have their votes counted remained a prominent factor in U.S. elections. This report incorporates just some of the data points and observations conveyed during elections in LDF’s target states in 2022.
2020 saw a dramatic increase in attempts to suppress the vote of Black, Latino, and other minority-community voters. Democracy Defended captures and analyzes LDF’s work during the 2020 election season in 10 states — Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas. The report provides documentation of barriers faced by Black voters and solutions for policy makers, election administrators, and community members to implement to ensure fair access to the vote in future elections.
