Committee releases John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act amid divided testimony over enforcement and courts’ role

The Assembly Oversight Reform and Federal Regulations Committee voted to release A4083, the John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey, after more than an hour of testimony from election administrators, civil‑rights organizations and voting‑rights advocates.

Proponents said the bill would create a state‑level voting‑rights law to protect voters in the face of federal rollbacks and to expand language access, preclearance processes, and enforcement tools. Nuzat Chowdhury of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice said the bill “builds on the legacy of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965” and would strengthen protections for Black and other voters of color. Liza Weisberg, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU of New Jersey, described the bill’s pre‑suit notification and preclearance features as ways to avoid long, harmful litigation and to “nip in the bud any harm before it can transpire.”

Election administrators testified with concerns about implementation and scope. Linda Hughes, administrator of the Burlington County Board of…