WATCH - Sherrill: Trump Wants Voters to Have to Walk a Gauntlet of ICE Officers to Vote
TRENTON - Proud to have served in the U.S. House of Representatives with the late John R. Lewis, Governor Mikie Sherrill today honored the American bedrock that Lewis fought for when she came to the packed Union Baptist Church with key allies to celebrate her signing of the John R. Lewis Empowerment Act.
The freedom fighter beaten at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in the cause of voting rights, John Lewis, Sherrill recalled, said "when it's not right, and it's not fair, speak up. You have to say something. You have to do something."
Lewis throughout his life spoke of the necessity for people of good conscience to get in "good trouble."
Standing on the altar with the Rev. Pastor Simeon Spencer, Lieutenant Governor Dale Caldwell, state Senator Shirley Turner, Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, and Ryan Haygood, former president (for 11 years) of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, Sherrill took a strong stand against President Donald Trump's continuing efforts to injure the republic and inject cynicism about the country into the national bloodstream.
"I signed the act to safeguard democracy and fight back against attacks on our voting rights," Sherrill said.
New Jersey was the tenth state with a governor to sign the voter protection act, and the first to do it since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this year savaged the Voting Rights Act of 1965, precisely the cause John Lewis bled for in Alabama.
"I thought we were past some of the problems," said Sherrill.
Apparently not.
The Act, she said, "protects the right to vote, even on the day of the election, and protects "the fundamental right to say how we are governed."
The Decision by the Supreme Court, helmed by Trump's handpicked justices, betrayed everything John R. Lewis and other Americans for and bled for.
"Donald Trump said he loved that ruling," the Governor said. "Of course, he did. He's the same president who pushed for restrictions on mail in voting and one of the worst voter suppression bills seen in decades."
It boils down to one thing for Trump, who's terrified of the voice of the people come November.
"He's trying to intimidate voters," Sherrill said. "No wonder he wants to get rid of mail-in voting because he wants you to come through a gauntlet of ICE officers to vote. That's why he's pushing lies and distortions about voter fraud, including here in New Jersey, to sow doubts about our elections."
This last reference by the Governor was to her announcement last week of her administration's discovery of approximately 6,600 individuals during the Phil Murphy years who indicated they were not United States citizens, and who registered to vote through New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle Commission.
Ultimately, Trump wants to blow that isolated incident into a reason to inhibit voters from getting to the polls, that he might escape accountability and deprive the people from a precious and fundamental right, secured here in New Jersey by the oversight of Sherrill and those who stood at her side today and who packed the church in Trenton.
Senator Turner summed up the event when she paraphrased the late John R. Lewis in her remarks, declaring of the Act signed by the Governor, "Good trouble has become good law."
In addition, watch Assembywoman Reynolds-Jackson and the Rev. Pastor Simeon Spencer HERE, and Lieutenant Governor Caldwell below:
| Sherrill signed the legislation into law on July 2, 2026, making New Jersey the first state in the nation to enact comprehensive statewide voting rights protections following the Supreme Court's decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which effectively dismantled Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act. At a time when the federal government is making every effort to make it harder for eligible Americans to cast a ballot, New Jersey is choosing a different path—protecting every eligible voter's fundamental right to participate freely, fairly, and securely while safeguarding the integrity of our elections.
“Every New Jersey voter deserves the freedom to make their voice heard without barriers, intimidation, or discrimination,” said Lieutenant Governor Caldwell. “The John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act honors the legacy of a civil rights icon by strengthening voter protections and ensuring the voting process works for every community across our state.” The John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act strengthens New Jersey’s elections by: |
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| “Throughout the last several election cycles, we have seen voting rights come under attack across the country in ways that have raised serious concerns about access to our democratic process,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Turner, the prime Senate sponsor. “At a time when proposals continue to advance nationally that could make it harder for eligible citizens to vote, especially for women and communities of color, this law reaffirms New Jersey's commitment to protecting and strengthening access to the ballot box for every eligible voter.”
“I am truly honored to celebrate Governor Sherrill’s recent signing of this vital piece of legislation. It’s time for states to step up to protect voting rights. New Jersey now has a clear mandate to not only protect but expand voting rights for Black voters and other voters of color who are disproportionately harmed by discriminatory practices and barriers to voting," said Assemblywoman Reynolds-Jackson, prime sponsor in the Assembly, who spent four years toiling on the bill. "With the John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act now law, New Jersey has joined the growing movement of state voting rights acts. We are now the 10th state to pass a state VRA and—because we’re New Jersey and we don’t play—ours is one of the strongest in the country. By passing our own voting rights, we are making sure that New Jersey voters—especially Black and other voters of color—are protected more by our state law than by federal law." “Thirteen years ago, the United States Supreme Court tore the heart of the federal Voting Rights Act. A few months ago, it finished the job. But New Jersey did not sit idle,” said Haygood. “The Institute and over 60 organizations working on behalf of New Jersey’s communities of color – those most at risk of being disenfranchised – worked for the last four years to make sure New Jersey voters are protected. Now, with the passing and signing of one of the strongest state voting rights laws in the country, we have achieved that goal – and set an example for all of America. We are deeply grateful to Asw. Reynolds-Jackson for her stalwart leadership, and to Gov. Sherrill for signing the bill and holding this meaningful ceremony to mark its importance.” The well attended event included many recognizable faces in the crowd, among them U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, state Senators Angela McKnight and Britnee Timberlake, Assemblywoman Linda Carter, Assemblywoman Shanique Speight, Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli, Assemblywoman Tennille McCoy, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, People's Organization for Progress (POP) Founder and Director Larry Hamm, and former Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter. |
