SR 97 — Condemns federal efforts aimed at restricting voting and urges federal government to protect Americans' voting rights.*

SR97 SR99 SCS SENATE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR SENATE RESOLUTION No.Nos.

97 and 99 STATE OF NEW JERSEY 222nd LEGISLATURE   INTRODUCEDADOPTED MAY 11,21, 2026     Sponsored by:

MCKEON District 27 (Essex and Passaic)  Senator   RAJ  MUKHERJI  District SYNOPSIS32     (Hudson) Condemns  federalCo-Sponsored effortsby: aimed at restricting voting.

Senators Timberlake, Wimberly, Gopal and Greenstein   CURRENT  VERSION  OF  TEXTSYNOPSIS      AsCondemns introduced.federal efforts aimed at restricting voting and urges federal government to protect Americans’ voting rights.

    ACURRENT SenateVERSION ResolutionOF stronglyTEXT condemning     federalSubstitute effortsas aimedadopted atby restrictingthe voting.Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee.

     Whereas,  AnyA effortSenate toResolution preventstrongly eligiblecondemning citizensfederal ofefforts theaimed Unitedat Statesrestricting (US)voting fromand votingurging underminesthe democracyfederal andgovernment isto anprotect affrontAmericans’ right to Americanvote. ideals;

and  Whereas, Yet,Any effort to prevent eligible citizens of the United States from voting undermines democracy and is an affront to American ideals, yet, President Trump and Congress are pursuing efforts to make voting less accessible to Americans across the country;

and Whereas, On March 31, 2026, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order 14399 on mail-in voting that attempts to impose new federal controls over how states administer elections, including creating federal citizenship lists, establishing new mail-in ballot transmission rules, and threatening enforcement against state and local election officials;

and Whereas, The Trump administration is once again overstepping its authority in an attempt to control an electionselection process that the USUnited States Constitution clearly delegates to the states and to Congress;

and Whereas, Federal courts have blocked key portions of the Trump administration’s 2025 elections Executive Order,Order 14248, concluding that the President lacks the authority to direct federal election administration in areas reserved to the states and to Congress;

and Whereas, Now, the Trump administration is ordering the USUnited States Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Social Security Administration, to use various databases and information sources to compile lists of USUnited States citizens residing in each state who will be 18 years or older at the time of the next election;

and Whereas, The use of incomplete or mismatched federal databases to create a federal citizenship list risks disenfranchising eligible voters, including elderly citizens, citizens with limited mobility, citizens who lack reliable transportation, naturalized citizens, members of the military, and other citizens legally entitled to vote under state and federal law;law, but whose information, including citizenship status, may be missing from these databases;

and Whereas, The 2026 Executive Order 14399 requires states to provide the names of registered voters who are eligible to receive mail-in ballots to the USUnited States Postal Service (USPS) in advance of each regularly scheduled federal election;

and Whereas, This Executiveexecutive Orderorder inserts a non-election agency into a sensitive role in the electionselection process by ordering the USPS to withhold ballots from people who are not on the statestates’ voterlists lists;of voters eligible to receive mail-in ballots;

and Whereas, Many AmericansAmericans, whoincluding married women, have changed their names since birth and, as a result, now have photo identification with names that do not match their birth certificates;

and Whereas, TheFor act’smost requirementof forour in-personnation’s voterhistory, registrationwomen orhad updatesbeen withsystematically electionsdenied officialsthe wouldright effectivelyto endvote, voterwhich registrationis online,a bycornerstone mail,of anddemocracy through community registration drives where elections officials are not present, thus disproportionately impacting working parents, caregivers, the elderly, and survivorsfundamental offor domesticcitizens violenceto whoinfluence may lack the requireddecisions documentationthat oraffect stabletheir records;lives;

andand  Whereas, WhileWhen theNew proponentsJersey ofadopted theseits measuresfirst argueconstitution thaton theyJuly are2, necessary1776, to prevent non-citizens from voting, there is overwhelming evidence that it isgranted extremelycertain rarewomen for non-citizens to vote in elections,the andState thesethe measuresright are far more likely to preventvote; many US citizens from voting than to address those limited instances;

and Whereas, Over the years, New Jersey believesextended inthe ensuringright thatto everyvote citizen’sto more women until that right towas votetaken shouldaway notin be1807, compromised;when the New Jersey Legislature passed a law restricting suffrage to tax-paying White men;

and Whereas, Free,Women fair,in New Jersey and accessibleacross electionsthe arenation afought corefor constitutionalmore functionthan ofa century for the statesright andto avote cornerstonethrough ofprotesting, abringing functioninglegal democracy,challenges, andattempting thisto Executivevote, Orderconducting andhunger thestrikes, “SAVEbeing Americaverbally Act”and threatenphysically toattacked undermineby the integritypublic ofand the electionspolice, processbeing inarrested thisduring Stateprotests, authoring papers, and acrossmore thein nation;a hard-won fight for suffrage;

and Whereas, Even after the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, many women, especially women of color, faced barriers to voting, such as literacy tests, poll taxes, and violent intimidation, until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965;

and Whereas, Women’s right to vote is once again under attack as the President and Congress are pursuing efforts to make voting less accessible to Americans across the country;

and Whereas, The act’s requirement for in-person voter registration or updates with elections officials would effectively end voter registration online, by mail, and through community registration drives where elections officials are not present, thus disproportionately impacting working mothers, caregivers, the elderly, and survivors of domestic violence who may lack the required documentation or stable records;

and Whereas, While the proponents of these measures argue that they are necessary to prevent non-citizens from voting, there is overwhelming evidence that it is extremely rare for non-citizens to vote in elections, and these measures are far more likely to prevent many United States citizens from voting than to address those limited instances;

and Whereas, New Jersey believes in ensuring that every citizen’s right to vote is not compromised and opposes any federal action that would roll back the progress secured through generations of women’s suffrage advocacy;

and Whereas, Free, fair, and accessible elections are a core constitutional function of the states and a cornerstone of a functioning democracy, and Executive Order 14399 and the “SAVE America Act” threaten to undermine the integrity of the elections process in this State and across the nation;

       1.  This House reaffirms its commitment to protecting the voting rights of all eligible USUnited citizensStates andcitizens, condemns President Trump’s Executive Order 14399 aimed at restricting mail-in votingvoting, and urges Congress to reject any efforts that would preventnegatively eligibleimpact USwomen’s citizenssuffrage, from voting, including the “SAVE America Act.”        2.  Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and each member of Congress elected from this State.

    STATEMENT        This resolution strongly condemns President Trump’s Executive Order aimed at restricting mail-in voting.

     On March 31, 2026, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order on mail-in voting that attempts to impose new federal controls over how states administer elections, including creating federal citizenship lists, establishing new mail-in ballot transmission rules, and threatening enforcement against state and local election officials.

     The Trump administration is once again overstepping its authority in an attempt to control an elections process that the United States (US) Constitution clearly delegates to states and Congress.  Federal courts have blocked key portions of this administration’s 2025 elections Executive Order, concluding that the President lacks the authority to direct federal election administration in areas reserved to the states and Congress.

     Now, the Trump administration is ordering the US Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Social Security Administration, to use various databases and information sources to compile lists of US citizens residing in each state who will be 18 years or older at the time of the next election.  These databases contain sensitive information and any data matching would need to proceed with the utmost concern for data privacy and security, a process that would take years, not the few months that the order requires.  The use of incomplete or mismatched federal databases to create a federal citizenship list risks disenfranchising eligible voters.

     The 2026 Executive Order requires states to provide the names of registered voters who are eligible to receive mail-in ballots to the US Postal Service (USPS) in advance of each regularly scheduled federal election and orders the USPS to withhold ballots from people who are not on the state voter lists.  State and local officials who do not comply with the order are threatened with a loss of federal funds and legal consequences.       Congress is considering the “SAVE America Act,” which would mandate that every person provide documentary proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, certificate of naturalization, or American passport when registering to vote in federal elections and to provide photo identification that matches the citizenship documentation when voting.  Many Americans who have changed their names since birth have photo identification with names that do not match their birth certificates.  Requiring documentary proof of citizenship tied to birth records could disenfranchise millions of Americans, particularly women who have changed their names due to marriage or divorce.  The act’s requirement for in-person voter registration or updates with elections officials would effectively end voter registration online, by mail, and through community registration drives where elections officials are not present, thus disproportionately impacting working parents, caregivers, the elderly, and survivors of domestic violence who may lack the required documentation or stable records.

     While the proponents of these measures argue that they are necessary to prevent non-citizens from voting, there is overwhelming evidence that it is extremely rare for non-citizens to vote in elections, and these measures are far more likely to prevent many US citizens from voting than to address those limited instances.  New Jersey believes in ensuring that every citizen’s right to vote should not be compromised.   Free, fair, and accessible elections are a core constitutional function of the states and a cornerstone of a functioning democracy, and this Executive Order and the “SAVE America Act” threaten to undermine the integrity of the elections process in this State and across the nation.  Therefore, New Jersey reaffirms its commitment to protecting the voting rights of all eligible US citizens and condemns President Trump’s Executive Order aimed at restricting mail-in voting and urges Congress to reject any efforts that would prevent eligible US citizens from voting, including the “SAVE America Act.”