{"data":{"id":"us-nj/n.j.-stat.-19-4a-5","jurisdiction":"us-nj","citation":"N.J. Stat. § 19:4A-5","heading":"Prohibition against motions resulting in abridgement of right to vote, protected class.","body":"5. a. Concerning voter suppression, no voting qualification, prerequisite to voting, law, ordinance, standard, practice, procedure, regulation, or policy shall be enacted or implemented by any State agency, local election office, or political subdivision in a manner that results in a denial or abridgement of the right of members of a protected class to vote. This section shall apply to any action to enact or seek to administer any such voting qualification, prerequisite to voting, law, ordinance, standard, practice, procedure, regulation, or policy; however, no such law passed by the State Legislature in accordance with Article IV, Section IV, paragraph 6 of the State Constitution shall be facially invalidated pursuant to any provision of this act.\nb.\tA political subdivision, local election office, or State agency shall not take any action, including implementing, imposing, or enforcing any qualification for eligibility to be an elector, any other prerequisite to voting, or any law, ordinance, regulation, standard, practice, procedure, or policy regarding the administration of elections, or take any other action that results in, will result in, or is intended to result in either of the following:\n(1) a material disparity in access to voting opportunities, or the opportunity or ability to participate in the political process, between members of a protected class and other members of the electorate; or\n(2) based on the totality of the circumstances, an impairment of the opportunity or ability of a protected class member to participate in the political process.\nc.\tIf a plaintiff establishes that an action results in, or will result in, either of the conditions set forth in paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection b. of this section, but the political subdivision, local election office, or State agency can show that the action is justified by a compelling State interest, then there shall be no violation under this section.\nd.\tNotwithstanding subsection c. of this section, a violation shall always exist under paragraph (1) of subsection b. of this section if a political subdivision took action that was intended to result in a material disparity in access to voting opportunities, or the opportunity or ability to participate in the political process, between members of a protected class and other members of the electorate.\nL.2026, c.31, s.5.","path":["TITLE 19 ELECTIONS"],"source_url":"https://pub.njleg.state.nj.us/statutes/STATUTES-TEXT.zip","current_through":"P.L.2026, c.50, and J.R.1","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-10-18T02:17:40Z","sha256":"e65e60f1c5e36ad422075cc4d5f2cbba09c331ddf4b8345f7c235ff94b241d13","source_id":"us-nj","stale":false,"prev":"us-nj/n.j.-stat.-19-4a-4","next":"us-nj/n.j.-stat.-19-4a-6"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}