Democrat,

All over the country in many states with Republican governors and state legislatures, an intricate and devious system of voter suppression has been put in place with a goal of depressing voter turnout among minority communities. From shutting down polling places in urban areas to understaffing the ones that are still open leading to long lines, there are multiple ways that the Republican Party has tried to make it harder for Black and brown people to vote. 

One of the most insidious tactics is so-called “voter ID” laws that require voters to produce a government-issued identification card in order to exercise their right to vote — and now Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli wants to bring that discriminatory policy to New Jersey. 

At a recent public campaign event, Ciattarelli proudly boasted that if he were governor of New Jersey, he would continue to embrace Donald Trump’s debunked lies about widespread voter fraud by supporting discriminatory policies. His direct quote was: “I will tell you under Governor Ciattarelli, we will use IDs at the time of voting.” 

It should come as no surprise that the same candidate who spoke at a ‘Stop the Steal’ rally and perpetuated Donald Trump’s lies about voter fraud would also support the kinds of voter ID laws that Republicans use to disenfranchise voters of color. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, voter ID laws are both inherently discriminatory and often selectively enforced against communities of color. Nationally, nearly 25% of African Americans of voting age lack a government-issued ID, compared to only 8% of white voters. 17% of Latino voters also lack IDs, according to the ACLU. 

Embracing discriminatory voter ID laws is just the latest evidence that Jack Ciattarelli is completely out of touch with New Jersey values, and far too extreme for our state. His embrace of discriminatory voter ID laws comes on the heels of him saying publicly that he would halt New Jersey’s planned minimum wage increase to $15 per hour, as well as doubling down on his opposition to State funding for women’s health care.
 
Jack Ciattarelli is proving every day that he's the wrong choice for New Jersey — make a donation now to the NJDSC to make sure we don’t let him reverse the progress we’re making in our state. 
 
Thanks, 
Chairman John Currie