NJ Assembly panel advances state-level voting rights act

The John Lewis Voter Empowerment Act would boost voting language access and impose preclearance on communities with a history of voter discrimination and intimidation.

By: Nikita Biryukov

Outlets: New Jersey Monitor

Published: February 20, 2026

Words: 653

Last Updated: 3 weeks ago

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A New Jersey Assembly panel approved a state-level voting rights act that would reinstate some provisions courts have stripped from the federal law in a party-line vote Thursday.

The bill, called the John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey after the late congressman and civil rights figure, would give state courts broad powers to rewrite discriminatory election rules, redraw voting districts, expand governing bodies, and reschedule elections if the …

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