{"data":{"id":"us-nj/n.j.-stat.-19-4a-6","jurisdiction":"us-nj","citation":"N.J. Stat. § 19:4A-6","heading":"Prohibition against motions resulting in election dilution.","body":"6. a. Concerning vote dilution, no local election office or political subdivision shall employ any method of election for any office that has the effect, or is motivated in part by the intent, of impairing the equal opportunity or ability of protected class members to participate in the political process by diluting the ability to (1) elect candidates of their choice; or (2) influence the outcome of elections.\nb.\tA violation of subsection a. of this section shall be established upon a showing that:\t(1) Elections in the local election office or political subdivision exhibit racially polarized voting, resulting in an impairment of the equal opportunity or ability of protected class members to nominate or elect candidates of their choice or influence the outcome of elections, or, based on the totality of the circumstances, the equal opportunity or ability of members of a protected class to nominate or elect candidates of their choice or influence the outcome of elections is impaired; and\n(2) One or more alternative methods of election or modifications to the existing method of election exist and would likely mitigate the impairment of the equal opportunity or ability of protected class members to nominate or elect candidates of their choice or to influence the outcome of elections. To the extent that the new method of election or modification is a proposed district-based plan that provides members of a protected class with one or more reasonably configured districts in which they would have an equal opportunity or ability to nominate or elect candidates of their choice or influence the outcome of elections, it shall not be necessary to show that members of a protected class comprise a majority in any such district or districts.\nc.\tTo determine whether elections in the political subdivision exhibit racially polarized voting:\n(1) A court of competent jurisdiction shall consider analysis of relevant election results, which may include, but need not be limited to, elections for offices of the political subdivision; elections held in the political subdivision for other offices, such as State or federal offices; ballot measures; and other electoral choices that bear on the rights and privileges of the protected class.\n(a) No set number or combination of elections shall be required to establish the existence of racially polarized voting.\n(b) Evidence of non-polarized voting in elections for offices outside the political subdivision shall not preclude a finding of racially polarized voting based on elections for offices of the political subdivision.\n(c) Non-statistical or non-quantitative evidence shall not preclude a finding of racially polarized voting based on quantitative or statistical evidence.\n(d) Low turnout or registration rates among members of a protected class shall not preclude a finding of racially polarized voting.\n(2) The presence of racially polarized voting shall be assessed based only on the combined electoral preferences of the racial, color, or language-minority groups comprising the protected class as defined in the complaint. There shall be no requirement to show that each group or any subgroup within a protected class is separately polarized from other voters.\n(3) The causes of or reasons for racially polarized voting, including partisan explanations or discriminatory intent, shall not be considered.\nL.2026, c.31, s.6.","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":"2214156d0c7a1c02b27cdd3e568de74bd43485773792702025a52b474b6a9fca","source_id":"us-nj","stale":false,"prev":"us-nj/n.j.-stat.-19-4a-5","next":"us-nj/n.j.-stat.-19-4a-7"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}