Subject: Chris Christie has a weird way of celebrating the Voting Rights Act 50th Anniversary
From: DNC Press <[email-masked]>
To: DNC Press <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 5 Aug 2015 15:07:40 +0000

<factivists.democrats.org/chris-christie-has-a-weird-way-of-celebrating-the-voting-rights-act-50th-anniversary/>

As we mark the 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act tomorrow, Americans are celebrating landmark legislation that helped expand access to the ballot box across the country. But Governor Christie has found a new, pathetic way to commemorate this anniversary: stall on New Jersey's Democracy Act. His inaction prevents an increase in early voting, prevents automatic voter registration, and makes it more difficult for non-English speakers to vote. New Jersey wants to know, will Governor Christie choose to stand with the people of New Jersey and support their right to vote? Or will he veto the bill, taking us backwards in our work to ensure every person can exercise their most basic civil right?

We're not holding our breath based on his bad record on voting rights:

*         Vetoed early legislation that would make it more convenient for New Jerseyans to vote

*         Refused to condemn the Supreme Court's decision to gut the Voting Rights Act

Read more about the importance of the Democracy Act from Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman:
Strengthening an American cornerstone<http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/07/strengthening_an_american_cornerstone_opinion.html>
TIMES OF TRENTON // CONGRESSWOMAN BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN
Picture this: it's Election Day in New Jersey. The polls are open from 6am until 8pm. You're going to do everything you can to get there in time to vote for the candidate you support. But, maybe the kids need to be picked up from school. Maybe you need to meet a deadline at work. Or maybe you need to log the extra shift at your second job so you can pay rent this month.
Maybe you've been tuned into this campaign, but haven't found the time to battle traffic to get to city hall and register. Maybe you did register, but since English isn't your first language, you're concerned you'll have trouble understanding the instructions at your polling place.
With all the hurdles in front of you to get to the polls, you wonder if it's really worth it.
These are real barriers that stop ordinary New Jerseyans from voting.  But we have the capacity to eliminate those hurdles, and offer more Americans the ability to exercise their civic duty and democratic right to vote.
I believe that we can best solve our nation's problems by bringing more people to the table instead of shutting them out, and there are few better chances to do that than when we elect our leaders. That's why I'm so proud that the New Jersey State Legislature has passed The Democracy Act, a bill that would allow New Jerseyans to more easily exercise their right to vote.
The Democracy Act, would expand early voting, implement automatic voter registration at the Motor Vehicle Commission, set-up online voter registration, and expand voting by mail. It would protect individuals from harassment at the polls, make it easier for non-English speakers to vote, improve accessibility at the polls for the disabled, and strengthen existing anti-voter fraud laws.
State Senator Ronald Rice noted that, "Protecting the right to vote is one of our most important responsibilities." He is absolutely right, and I couldn't agree more. The Democracy Act utilizes well-established best practices to safeguard an individual's right to cast his or her ballot.  As New Jersey Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) explains, "New Jersey is lagging behind other states when it comes to voter rights...[the] important reforms we are proposing will bring our laws into the 21st century and create greater access to the democratic process."

If signed into law by Governor Christie, the Democracy Act would make New Jersey a national leader on voting rights and a model for other states. New Jersey's success would also encourage my colleagues in Congress to provide individuals every chance to exercise their right to vote. But despite all the good this legislation is poised to do, it appears that Governor Christie is committed to throw it out in its entirety.  This is disappointing but not surprising -- as Governor Christie campaigns for President, he's clinging to the standard, cynical right-wing strategy of shutting more Americans out of the voting process for partisan political advantage.  That strategy frequently turns people of color, women, seniors, and young people away from the polls.
Instead of "telling it like it is," Governor Christie again tries to turn lies into truths by claiming that the Democracy Act will increase voter fraud, which he claims is rampant in New Jersey. The truth is that fewer people in New Jersey have been indicted on voter impersonation than have been indicted in his Bridgegate scandal.
Study after study reaffirms that actual cases of voter fraud are incredibly rare. In fact, out of 1 billion votes cast since 2000, there have only been 31 credible instances of voter impersonation nationally. With chances of voter fraud as low as .000000031%, it's simply not an issue.
The United States is the greatest democracy in history; a nation whose cornerstone is the right to elect our leaders. We shouldn't have six-hour lines at the polls.  The real fraud being committed here in New Jersey is denying any eligible voter of their constitutional right to vote.
I applaud the State Legislature for working together to bring more citizens into the electoral process, and I look forward to pointing back home when discussing voting rights with my colleagues in Washington.  As State Sen. Nia Gill said, "Fifty years ago, President Johnson signed into law the Voting Rights Act, which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called 'a great step forward in removing all the remaining obstacles to the right to vote... [the Legislature] demonstrated our commitment to continuing the legacy of those leaders and protecting voter's rights." It's now on Gov. Christie to do the same.

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