On July 2, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) signed legislation making New Jersey the 11th state to enact a state-level voting rights act.

Since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting nationwide, some states have enacted state-level voting rights acts. The provisions of these laws vary, but they generally include policies that mirror or expand on the federal Voting Rights Act. Those policies apply to local governments in the state.

Assembly Bill 1715 prohibits the use of voting policies that result "in a denial or abridgement of the right of members of a protected class to vote." 

The bill also prohibits political subdivisions from taking actions that result in vote dilution or that create a material disparity in access to voting opportunities or impair the "opportunity or ability of a protected class member to participate in the political process." 

Individuals or groups may file a court action against a local government alleging a violation of the law. A plaintiff must first give the local government a chance to remedy the issue before filing a lawsuit.

The law also requires political subdivisions that meet certain demographic criteria to provide assistance in languages other than English. Local governments of a certain size or that were deemed to have violated state or federal law in a voting case must submit changes to voting policies to the state attorney general’s office for pre-clearance before they can take effect.

The New Jersey Senate passed the final version of the bill 25-14 on June 30, with 25 Democrats voting in favor and 14 Republicans voting against. The New Jersey General Assembly then passed the amended bill 57-21 later that day, with 57 Democrats voting in favor and 21 Republicans voting against.

Rep. Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D) said that by “strengthening safeguards against discrimination, improving language access, increasing transparency, and creating stronger protections for voters, New Jersey is reaffirming that our democracy works best when every eligible voice has an equal opportunity to be heard.”

During a hearing on the bill in May, Sen. Kristin Corrado (R) said, “I think it’s important to note, the incidents that you’re highlighting — we have addressed them in this state already. We do take the right to vote extremely seriously, and we’ve taken steps to proactively address that.”

The provisions of the bill take effect on August 15, 2026, with the exception of the language accessibility requirement, the preclearance requirement, and a requirement that the Division of Elections maintain a database with election statistics. Those three requirements take effect on October 1, 2027.

Of the 11 states with a state-level voting rights act, four have a provision that requires some local governments to obtain state approval for changes to voting policies, 10 have a prohibition on vote dilution, 10 allow private individuals or groups to sue over local or state policies they believe to be discriminatory, and four include requirements that voting materials be available in languages other than English.

The first state to enact a state-level voting rights act was California in 2002, followed by Illinois in 2011. Every other state enacted its law between 2018 and 2026. All 11 states had Democratic trifectas when they enacted their laws.

New Jersey is the fourth state in 2026 to enact a new state-level voting rights act, or to expand an existing law. Virginia and Washington both expanded existing state-level voting rights acts, while Maryland enacted a new law.

Both chambers of the Delaware General Assembly have passed HB 444, which would enact a state-level voting rights act. Once the bill is formally sent to Gov. Matt Meyer (D), he will have 10 days, excluding Sundays, to sign or veto it.