Support the Bill for All New Jersey Overseas Voters to Vote in State Elections
Democrats Abroad has gotten out the vote for every state in the nation, but this year most of our major battles are for state-level voting rights, particularly in New Jersey! Depending on what they fill out on their absentee ballot request, many overseas voters in New Jersey don't have the right to vote in state elections! They used to have it, before Chris Christie pushed through a change in the law in 2017.
This needs to change. Overseas voters are stakeholders in New Jersey government. Issues like climate change and net neutrality affect us everywhere. New Jerseyan overseas voters deserve a voice at all levels of government, and Assemblywoman Joann Downey has introduced a bill, NJ A5306, to change that law back and enfranchise voters once again.
Please help us to get this bill passed! If the New Jersey Legislature approves the bill, overseas voters will be able to vote in the New Jersey state and local elections on November 2nd, 2021.
**Update May 6: Your calls and emails are working--we have added more cosponsors to the bill this week!**
Please call Speaker Coughlin's Office and ask him to put NJ A5306 on the voting schedule for the Assembly!
Also call Assemblyman Mazzeo, State & Local Gov't Committee Chair, and your 2 NJ Assembly Reps! Ask them to co-sponsor the bill!
Find Them Here:
| Representative | Legislative Role | Contact | Emailing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assemblyman Coughlin | Assembly Speaker | 732-855-7441 | [email protected] |
| Assemblyman Mazzeo | State & Local Gov't Committee Chair | 732-855-7558 | [email protected] |
| Your 1st NJ Assembly Rep! | Ask them to Co-Sponsor A5306! | NJ Legislature | NJ Legislature |
| Your 2nd NJ Assembly Rep! | Ask them to Co-Sponsor A5306! | NJ Legislature | NJ Legislature |
I'll do it!
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Talking Points/Script:
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Hi my name is --------
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I am a New Jersey voter, voting in ---------- County, and I currently live in [Current Country]
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I live overseas but I regularly vote by absentee ballot.
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(If asked for an address) Would you like my voting address?
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IF CALLING SPEAKER COUGHLIN: I am calling to ask Speaker Coughlin to support Assembly bill A5306 and put it on the Assembly schedule.
- IF CALLING YOUR ASSEMBLY REP: I am calling to ask Assemblyperson ---------- to support and co-sponsor Assembly bill A5306.
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The bill allows overseas voters to vote in state elections even if there is uncertainty regarding their return. Many overseas voters check the box on their absentee ballot request, “return uncertain,” without knowing that they will lose their voting rights in New Jersey state and local elections by doing that. Whether US citizens have plans to return to New Jersey or not we are stake holders in state government on many issues such as Climate Change, Net Neutrality, and of course, our voting rights.
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We do have some protection under federal law, but, like most things, much is left up to the state. We formerly had the right to do so in 2017 and are looking to restore this voting right.
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The majority of states in our country believe that our voting rights should be taken with us when we move abroad. NJ is one of the small handful of states that denies us the right to vote, even though we are US citizens and have a stake in state government.
- Thank you so much for your time.
Thank you for supporting voting rights for ALL New Jersey voters! If you have any questions, please email us at: [email protected]
And don't forget to request your ballot for 2021--just to go www.votefromabroad.org, click Start and follow the prompts to fill out and submit your Ballot Request form.
If you would like to make a donation, please click here!