New Jersey expands early voting amid voter access battle

Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey on Tuesday signs into law a bill that will allow for early in-person voting in the state. It sailed through the Garden State's Senate last Thursday.

The Democratic governor, who is up for reelection this November, will be joined remotely for the signing ceremony by Stacey Abrams. The well-known voting rights activist and organizer from Georgia was instrumental in helping President Biden capture the state in last November's election and helping the Democrats sweep Georgia's twin Senate runoff elections in January, which gave the party the majority in the chamber. The move by New Jersey to expand voting access comes as some states where the GOP controls the governor's office and the legislature are passing bills that would tighten voting access rules. Earlier this month Iowa reduced the number of days it will allow for early in-person voting, and last week in Abrams' home state, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed into a law a measure that increased voter ID requirements for absentee voting, reduced the number of ballot drop boxes, and expanded the state legislature's control over elections.