Bill Text: NJ AR119 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges Congress to adopt "William Jefferson Clinton Voter ID Act of 2014," requiring that Social Security cards have photograph of cardholder and be displayed before voting in federal elections.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-05-22 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee [AR119 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-AR119-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman MICHAEL PATRICK CARROLL
District 25 (Morris and Somerset)
Assemblywoman HOLLY SCHEPISI
District 39 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Urges Congress to adopt "William Jefferson Clinton Voter ID Act of 2014," requiring that Social Security cards have photograph of cardholder and be displayed before voting in federal elections.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution urging the Congress of the United States to adopt a "William Jefferson Clinton Voter ID Act of 2014," to require Social Security cards to have a photograph of the cardholder and that the card must be displayed to vote in any federal election.
Whereas, Voting is one of the most fundamental rights associated with citizenship and the cornerstone of representative democracy; and
Whereas, The integrity of the election system must be guarded in order to protect the right to vote so that illegitimate voters do not dilute the voting power of the legitimate electorate; and
Whereas, Federal law currently permits only certain states to secure full Social Security numbers for the purpose of voter identification; and
Whereas, New Jersey is not one of the select few states permitted to secure such information in order to verify the identity of its voters; and
Whereas, Former President Bill Clinton has suggested that all Social Security cards include a photograph of the cardholder and, to verify the identify of any person wishing to vote, that the card be required to be presented before the person is permitted to vote in a federal election; and
Whereas, Former President Clinton has said putting photos on Social Security Cards would represent "a way forward that eliminates error" without having to "paralyze and divide a country with significant challenges" to current election law; and
Whereas, Since current law permits certain non-citizens to obtain Social Security Cards, cards for bona-fide citizens should include the word CITIZEN on the front of the card to serve as a deterrent to attempts at voting by non-citizens; and
Whereas, In order to assure the ready availability of the Social Security Card with a photograph of the cardholder for use at federal elections, the cost of the first such card in any 10-year period should not be assessed to the holder thereof, though a reasonable fee should be imposed for any replacement card; and
Whereas, Given the importance of eliminating fraud in elections, it is fitting and proper that this House calls on Congress to adopt a "William Jefferson Clinton Voter ID Act of 2014," to require Social Security cards to have a photograph of the cardholder and that the card must be displayed to vote in any federal election; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Congress of the United States is urged to adopt a "William Jefferson Clinton Voter ID Act of 2014," to require Social Security cards to have a photograph of the cardholder and that the card must be displayed to vote in any federal election.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the majority and minority leaders of the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives and to each member of the United States Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
This resolution urges the Congress of the United States to adopt a "William Jefferson Clinton Voter ID Act of 2014," to require Social Security cards to have a photograph of the cardholder and that the card must be displayed to vote in any federal election.
New Jersey is obligated to uphold the principles of democracy by ensuring that the electoral process is free of fraud and corruption. This State and others will achieve this goal by requiring that each person's Social Security card has a photograph of the cardholder and that the card must be displayed to vote in any federal election.