The bill, NJ A2014 (18R), automatically registers to vote New Jersey citizens who sign up for or renew their drivers license at a Motor Vehicle Commission office, unless they opt out. Murphy makes it easier to register to vote in New Jersey

TRENTON — Contrasting his administration with President Donald Trump’s, Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday signed into law a bill that gives New Jersey one of the most expansive voter registration laws in the country.

“We stand in stark contrast to President Trump and others whose only interest lays in restricting voting rights and suppressing voters’ voices,” the Democratic governor said at a signing ceremony at the Hughes Justice Complex in Trenton.


The bill, NJ A2014 (18R), automatically registers to vote New Jersey citizens who sign up for or renew their drivers license at a Motor Vehicle Commission office, unless they opt out.

But it goes even further, allowing any state agency or office that collects “proof of eligibility, including age, citizenship and residence address” to automatically register its clients to vote if the Secretary of State approves. It’s unclear if and when any other agency will participate.

“That’s a little bit still a work in progress,” Murphy said.

Trump made the baseless allegation that millions of illegal votes were cast in the 2016 presidential election and set up a now-disbanded voter fraud commission. Republicans in other states have also implemented voter ID laws they say are aimed at combating voter fraud, though in-person voter fraud is rare.

Murphy’s signing of the law pleased progressive groups and activists who pushed for it. He was introduced at Tuesday‘s ceremony by Amol Sinha, executive director of the ACLU of New Jersey, who contrasted the move to the Trump administration “spreading falsehoods about voter fraud and working with states to ensure that fewer people can vote.”

The bill is one of several Democrats who control the entire state government are pushing that seek to expand the voter rolls and voter participation. Several lawmakers are pushing bills that would allow prisoners and parolees to vote — legislation many at the press conference said they support. Other bills would expand early voting in New Jersey, allow Election Day registration, online registration and permit 17-year-olds to vote in party primaries if they turn 18 by the general election.

Under the bill Murphy signed on Tuesday, the Parole Board would be eligible to enact automatic voter registration — though under current law only those who have completed their sentences would be eligible. Other social service agencies would be able to conduct registration as well.

“Very simply, we’re flipping this on its head from a system that required you to opt in to a system [to one] that will require you to opt out,” Murphy said. “We all know what human nature is like: A whole lot of people are going to get registered.”

Eleven other states and the District of Columbia have a “motor voter” law, but only a few have enacted or are considering laws that go beyond registering voters at motor vehicle offices.

Republicans say the law will lead to duplicate paperwork and expensive computer system upgrades, even though the law is optional for agencies other than the MVC. They also suggested it could lead to increased voter fraud and that there aren’t enough safeguards to ensure only eligible voters are registered, and cited Census Bureau figures that show around 90 percent of New Jersey’s eligible voters are already registered.

Former Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a similar bill in 2016.

Last week, Republican State Chairman Doug Steinhardt called the bill “at best ... the classic example of legislators fixing a problem that doesn’t exist.”

“At its worst, it’s altogether something more sinister,” Steinhardt said in a statement. “Democrats are looking to exploit what they see as favorable registration trends and using taxpayer funded dollars and institutions to do it.”

Murphy refused to take questions at the event.

But Secretary of State Tahesha Way, who oversees the state Division of Elections, said during the signing ceremony that the bill will actually clean up New Jersey’s voter rolls by updating voters’ addresses and other information.

“Voter registration rolls should contain the most up-to-date voter information, and [automatic voter registration] should help accomplish that,” Way said. “We will have better updated and upgraded voter registration rolls which will lead to the filing of less provisional ballots and ultimately more efficient elections across the board.”

The new law takes effect Nov. 1, six days before the general election. But automatically registered voters won’t be eligible to cast ballots in the Nov. 6 general election, since New Jersey law requires them to wait 21 days before voting.

Murphy was joined at the event by Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex) and several Democratic lawmakers. Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester), with whom the governor has a tense relationship, did not attend. Sweeney said he was out of town.