New Jersey Legislature Breaks for Budget Without Passing Same-Day Voter Registration

TRENTON — In response to the New Jersey State Legislature’s failure to pass same-day voter registration before their scheduled budget only hearings, League of Women Voters of New Jersey Executive Director Jesse Burns,  Director of the Democracy & Justice Program at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice Henal Patel, and Stand Up America Managing Director for Policy and Political Affairs Brett Edkins released the following statement:

“While state legislatures around the country roll back voting rights, New Jersey has taken important steps to ensure that every eligible citizen can vote by passing automatic voter registration, online voter registration, and more. Still, New Jerseyans face an arbitrary deadline requiring voters to register to vote three weeks before an election, or be turned away at the polls—an injustice that particularly affects young voters and voters of color. And until we right this wrong, we cannot claim to be a national leader championing an inclusive democracy.

“We are disappointed that the New Jersey legislature did not pass same-day voter registration and make this commonsense change to increase voter participation before breaking to deal with the budget in April. This legislation has a growing list of cosponsors, bipartisan legislative support, and a coalition of almost 100 diverse organizations calling for its passage.  There’s no reason to delay any longer, and we urge our state representatives to pass this bill when they hold non-budget committee hearings later this spring.”

###