Issue Position: Voting Rights

Issue Position

Phil Murphy knows that democracy is stronger and more representative when more people vote. That's why he has fought to make it easier -- not harder -- for New Jerseyans to participate in the political process. While states like Georgia and Arizona have taken action to restrict the right to vote and disenfranchise citizens, particularly African Americans, seniors, and college students, Phil has moved New Jersey in a different direction to strengthen voting rights by:

- Instituting automatic voter registration;
- Establishing online voter registration;
- Allowing nine days of in-person early voting;
- Expanding access to vote-by-mail;
- Outlawing prison gerrymandering to ensure that individuals in correctional facilities are counted toward the population of their residence as opposed to the legislative district where they are incarcerated;
- Restoring voting rights to individuals on probation or parole; and
- Proposing same-day voter registration, allowing 17-year-olds to vote in primaries if they turn 18 by Election Day in November, and lengthening the window for in-person early voting beyond nine days.

These efforts have led to more participation in the democratic process across New Jersey. In the 2020 presidential election, New Jersey had the eighth highest turnout rate (75.3%) in the country, an increase of 9.5% since 2016. New Jersey is motivating young people to share their voice at the polls, and it boasted the highest youth voter turnout rate (67%) in the nation in 2020.

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