Bill Text: NJ SR99 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges Congress to protect women's voting rights and reject "SAVE America Act."
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-05-21 - Combined with SR97 (SCS) [SR99 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-SR99-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator RAJ MUKHERJI
District 32 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Urges Congress to protect women's voting rights and reject "SAVE America Act."
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Senate Resolution urging Congress to protect women's right to vote and reject the "SAVE America Act."
Whereas, For most of our nation's history, women had been systematically denied the right to vote, which is a cornerstone of democracy and fundamental for citizens to influence the decisions that affect their lives; and
Whereas, When New Jersey adopted its first constitution on July 2, 1776, it granted certain women in the State the right to vote; and
Whereas, Over the years, New Jersey extended the right to vote to more women until that right was taken away in 1807, when the New Jersey Legislature passed a law restricting suffrage to tax-paying White men; and
Whereas, Women in New Jersey and across the nation fought for more than a century for the right to vote through protesting, bringing legal challenges, attempting to vote, conducting hunger strikes, being verbally and physically attacked by the public and the police, being arrested during protests, authoring papers, and more in a hard-won fight for suffrage; and
Whereas, Even after the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, many women, especially women of color, faced barriers to voting, such as literacy tests, poll taxes, and violent intimidation, until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965; and
Whereas, Women's right to vote is once again under attack as Congress considers the "SAVE America Act," which would require new documentation burdens that echo past voter suppression tactics; and
Whereas, The act would mandate that every person provide documentary proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, certificate of naturalization, or American passport when registering to vote in federal elections and to provide photo identification that matches the citizenship documentation when voting; and
Whereas, Millions of women across the country have changed their names due to marriage or divorce; and
Whereas, Many of the women who have changed their names since birth have photo identification with names that do not match their birth certificates; and
Whereas, Requiring documentary proof of citizenship tied to birth records could disenfranchise millions of married women; and
Whereas, The act's requirement for in-person voter registration or updates with elections officials would effectively end voter registration online, by mail, and through community registration drives where elections officials are not present, thus disproportionately impacting working mothers, caregivers, the elderly, and survivors of domestic violence who may lack documentation or stable records; and
Whereas, New Jersey reaffirms its commitment to protecting the voting rights of all citizens and opposes any federal action that would roll back the progress secured through generations of women's suffrage advocacy; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House reaffirms its commitment to protecting the voting rights of all citizens and urges Congress to reject any efforts that would negatively impact women's suffrage, including the "SAVE America Act."
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, every member of Congress elected from this State, and the League of Women Voters in New Jersey.
STATEMENT
This resolution reaffirms New Jersey's commitment to protecting the voting rights of all citizens and urges Congress to reject any efforts that would negatively impact women's suffrage, including the "SAVE America Act."
When New Jersey adopted its first constitution on July 2, 1776, it granted certain women in the State the right to vote. Over the years, New Jersey extended the right to vote to more women until that right was taken away in 1807, when the New Jersey Legislature passed a law restricting suffrage to tax-paying White men.
Women in New Jersey and across the nation fought for more than a century for the right to vote through protesting, bringing legal challenges, attempting to vote, conducting hunger strikes, being verbally and physically attacked by the public and the police, being arrested during protests, authoring papers, and more in a hard-won fight for suffrage. Even after the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, many women, especially women of color, faced barriers to voting, such as literacy tests, poll taxes, and violent intimidation, until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Women's right to vote is once again under attack as Congress considers the "SAVE America Act," which would require new documentation burdens that echo past voter suppression tactics. The act would mandate that every person provide documentary proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, certificate of naturalization, or American passport when registering to vote in federal elections and to provide photo identification that matches the citizenship documentation when voting.
Millions of women across the country have changed their names due to marriage or divorce. Many of the women who have changed their names since birth have photo identification with names that do not match their birth certificates. As a result, requiring documentary proof of citizenship tied to birth records could disenfranchise millions of married women. The act's requirement for in-person voter registration or updates with elections officials would effectively end voter registration online, by mail, and through community registration drives where elections officials are not present, thus disproportionately impacting working mothers, caregivers, the elderly, and survivors of domestic violence who may lack documentation or stable records.
New Jersey reaffirms its commitment to protecting the voting rights of all citizens and opposes any federal action that would roll back the progress secured through generations of women's suffrage advocacy.
