Urges Congress to protect women's voting rights and reject "SAVE America Act."

AR133

ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 133

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MAY 4, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman� LOUIS D. GREENWALD

District 6 (Burlington and Camden)

Assemblywoman� CARMEN THERESA MORALES

District 34 (Essex)

SYNOPSIS

���� Urges Congress to protect women�s voting rights and
reject �SAVE America Act.�

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Assembly
Resolution
urging Congress to protect
women�s right to vote and reject the �SAVE America Act.�

Whereas,

For most of our nation�s history, women had been systematically denied the
right to vote, which is a cornerstone of democracy and fundamental for citizens
to influence the decisions that affect their lives; and �

Whereas,

When New Jersey adopted its first constitution on July 2, 1776, it granted
certain women in the State the right to vote; and

Whereas,

Over the years, New Jersey extended the right to vote to more women until that
right was taken away in 1807, when the New Jersey Legislature passed a law
restricting suffrage to tax-paying White men; and

Whereas,

Women in New Jersey and across the nation fought for more than a century for
the right to vote through protesting, bringing legal challenges, attempting to
vote, conducting hunger strikes, being verbally and physically attacked by the
public and the police, being arrested during protests, authoring papers, and
more in 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 Congress considers the �SAVE
America Act,� which would require new documentation burdens that echo past
voter suppression tactics; and

Whereas,

The act 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;
and

Whereas,

Millions of women across the country have changed their names due to marriage
or divorce; and

Whereas,

Many of the women who have changed their names since birth have photo
identification with names that do not match their birth certificates; and

Whereas,

Requiring documentary proof of citizenship tied to birth records could
disenfranchise millions of married women; 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 documentation or
stable records; and

Whereas,

In recognition of Women�s History Month, New Jersey reaffirms its commitment to
protecting the voting rights of all citizens and opposes any federal action
that would roll back the progress secured through generations of women�s
suffrage advocacy; now, therefore,

����
Be It
Resolved
by the General Assembly of the State
of New Jersey:

���� 1.� This House reaffirms its
commitment to protecting the voting rights of all citizens and urges Congress
to reject any efforts that would negatively impact women�s suffrage, including
the �SAVE America Act.�

���� 2.� Copies of this resolution,
as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the
General Assembly to the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House
of Representatives, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States
Senate, every member of Congress elected from this State, and the League of
Women Voters in New Jersey.

STATEMENT

���� This resolution reaffirms New
Jersey�s commitment to protecting the voting rights of all citizens and urges
Congress to reject any efforts that would negatively impact women�s suffrage,
including the �SAVE America Act.�

���� When
New Jersey adopted its first constitution on July 2, 1776, it granted certain
women in the State the right to vote.� Over the years, New Jersey extended the
right to vote to more women until that right was taken away in 1807, when the
New Jersey Legislature passed a law restricting suffrage to tax-paying White
men.

���� Women
in New Jersey and across the nation fought for more than a century for the
right to vote through protesting, bringing legal challenges, attempting to
vote, conducting hunger strikes, being verbally and physically attacked by the
public and the police, being arrested during protests, authoring papers, and
more in a hard-won fight for suffrage.� 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.

���� Women�s
right to vote is once again under attack as Congress considers the �SAVE
America Act,� which would require new documentation burdens that echo past
voter suppression tactics.� The act 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.

����
Millions of women across the
country have changed their names due to marriage or divorce.� Many of the women
who have changed their names since birth have photo identification with names
that do not match their birth certificates.� As a result, requiring documentary
proof of citizenship tied to birth records could disenfranchise millions of
married women.� 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
documentation or stable records.�

����
In recognition of Women�s
History Month, New Jersey reaffirms its commitment to protecting the voting
rights of all citizens and opposes any federal action that would roll back the
progress secured through generations of women�s suffrage advocacy.