Assemblywoman Reynolds-Jackson’s Statement on the “John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey”

(TRENTON) – Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson released a statement about A1715, known as the “John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey” after its advancement in today’s Assembly Appropriations Committee.

“The most fundamental right in a democracy is the right to vote. It is the cornerstone of our civic process, and since the founding of our nation, we have worked to uphold and expand that right for every eligible citizen.

“Yet today, after generations of hard-won progress, the Trump Administration is looking to strip that right from countless Americans. We need to stand up and protect the voting rights of all American citizens, especially marginalized communities and people of color, against this effort to silence the voices of thousands of Americans.

“The late Congressman John Lewis said it best, ‘Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we call the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself.’ This bill honors the legacy of a man who spent his life fighting for equal rights and lived to see the fruits of his sacrifices; from the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. We cannot allow what he and so many other fought—the rights of women, people of color, young voters, and countless other disenfranchised groups—to be erased.

“Today’s committee underscored the need for this bill to pass. The ‘John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey’ is more than a reaffirmation of our commitment to a true representative democracy. It is a call to action, an opportunity for us, as legislators, to ensure that every single eligible person has their voice heard at the ballot box.”