Bill Text: NJ AR268 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Condemns Governor of Georgia for signing into law restrictive changes to Georgia's elections process.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-06-03 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee [AR268 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-AR268-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE
District 37 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Condemns Governor of Georgia for signing into law restrictive changes to Georgia's elections process.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution condemning the Governor of Georgia, Brian P. Kemp, for signing legislation that includes restrictive changes to the State of Georgia's elections process.
Whereas, While the State of New Jersey has enacted legislation to increase access to voting and permit more citizens of New Jersey with the opportunity to exercise the right to vote, other states throughout the country have done the opposite and enacted anti-democratic legislation that disenfranchises voters in their states; and
Whereas, The Governor of Georgia signed into law Senate Bill 202 during the 2021 legislative session, a 98-page omnibus bill that includes restrictive changes to the State of Georgia's elections process and undermines democracy in Georgia; and
Whereas, The legislation, which was rushed through both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly, was designed to severely restrict voting in Georgia and disenfranchise Black and brown citizens of Georgia who already face barriers to the ballot box; and
Whereas, The legislation takes away local control of elections, disenfranchises out-of-precinct voters, makes runoff elections difficult to administer, limits the accessibility of ballot drop boxes, establishes strict voter identification requirements for absentee voting, prohibits election officials from mailing absentee ballot applications to all voters, and makes offering food and water to voters waiting in line to vote a criminal offense; and
Whereas, Specifically, among other restrictions, the legislation shortens the absentee ballot request period from 180 days before election day to 78 days before election day, shortens the runoff elections timeframe from nine weeks to 28 days after election day, requires ballot drop boxes to be placed inside early voting locations thereby limiting 24-hour access, caps the number of ballot drop boxes to one per 100,000 active voters in the county or one for every early voting location whichever is smaller, which results in a significant reduction in ballot drop boxes in certain urban counties, and prohibits the Secretary of State from serving as chair of the State Board of Elections; and
Whereas, Major United States companies and sports teams have publicly condemned the controversial law, including top executives at Georgia-headquartered Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines, the Atlanta Hawks basketball team and the Atlanta Falcons football team, as well as executives at JPMorgan Chase, CITI, and Microsoft; and
Whereas, The legislation, also known as "Jim Crow 2.0" by opponents of the law, represents a massive and unabashed assault on voting rights unlike anything the nation has seen since the Jim Crow era; and
Whereas, The act of voting is sacred and must be accessible to all eligible voters; and
Whereas, This House supports improving and expanding access to voting and opposes any efforts throughout the United States to undermine democracy and the elections process in any state and in any election; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House condemns the Governor of Georgia, Brian P. Kemp, for signing into law Senate Bill 202 during the 2021 legislative session, a bill that includes restrictive changes to the State of Georgia's elections process that disproportionately impact communities of color and undermines the elections process in Georgia.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the Governor of Georgia, the Georgia Secretary of State, the Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the Georgia Senate and Georgia House of Representatives, the Governor of New Jersey, and each member of the United States Congress elected from the State of Georgia and the State of New Jersey.
STATEMENT
This resolution condemns the Governor of Georgia for signing into law restrictive changes to Georgia's elections process.
While the State of New Jersey has enacted legislation to increase access to voting and permit more citizens of New Jersey the opportunity to exercise the right to vote, other states throughout the union have done the opposite and enacted anti-democratic legislation that disenfranchises voters in their states. On March 25, 2021, the Governor of Georgia signed into law Senate Bill 202 during the 2021 legislative session, a 98-page omnibus bill that includes restrictive changes to the State of Georgia's elections process and undermines democracy in the Georgia.
The legislation, which was rushed through both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly, was designed to severely restrict voting in Georgia and disenfranchise Black and brown citizens of Georgia who already face barriers to the ballot box. The legislation takes away local control of elections, restricts absentee voting, disenfranchises out-of-precinct voters, makes runoff elections difficult to administer, limits the accessibility of ballot drop boxes, and makes offering food and water to voters waiting in line to vote a criminal offense. As a result of the undemocratic law, major U.S. companies and sports teams have publicly condemned the controversial law, including top executives at Georgia-headquartered Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines, the Atlanta Hawks basketball team and the Atlanta Falcons football team, as well as executives at JPMorgan Chase, CITI, and Microsoft.
The act of voting is scared and must be accessible to all eligible voters. This House supports improving and expanding access to voting and opposes any efforts throughout the United States to undermine democracy and the elections process in any state and in any election. This House joins major U.S. companies, nonprofit organizations, and other governmental units in condemning the Governor of Georgia for signing SB 202 into law.
