Put expanded voting rights on New Jersey's 2016 ballot!

In New Jersey, a full 36 percent of Black Americans aren't registered to vote. A full 55 percent of younger Black voters (18-29) say they don't vote because they aren't registered.

In June, the New Jersey Legislature put the "Democracy Act" on Governor Christie's desk in an attempt to reverse that trend. The Democracy Act would have registered tens of thousands of new Black voters and made it easier than ever for all of us to have a full say in our Democracy. Governor Christie vetoed the Democracy Act in November, but the Legislature doesn't have to let him have the last word on our voting rights.

Sign our petition asking the NJ Legislature to put the major provisions of the Democracy Act on the 2016 ballot, including:

Automatically registering qualified residents to vote when they visit their local MVC.
Allowing people to register to vote or correct voting information online.
Making voting more convenient for working families by expanding early in-person voting.
Improving access for military and overseas voters.
Printing ballots in languages that reflect our diverse communities.

Additionally, legislators should advance full rights restoration for people on probation and parole. Currently 1 in 5 otherwise eligible Black voters in New Jersey are denied the right to vote because of past convictions. By putting the Democracy Act on the 2016 ballot and restoring rights for people with prior convictions, legislators would give New Jersey voters a chance to strengthen their own voting rights, and to expand the right to vote for their fellow residents.

If Christie's veto of the Democracy Act was cynical politics at its worst, putting voting rights on the ballot would be democracy at its best.