WASHINGTON – In response to Gov. Christie’s veto of The Democracy Act, DNC Vice Chair of Voter Registration and Participation Donna Brazile issued the following statement:

“Governor Christie’s veto of the Democracy Act is disturbing but not surprising.  Instead of signing into law a bill that could have expanded ballot access for 1.6 million people in the Garden State, the governor chose to put Republican political interests ahead of a stronger democracy.

“This veto means that 1.6 million citizens will not be automatically added to the rolls in New Jersey, and voters won’t have extended early voting opportunities the bill would have afforded. New Jersey’s active duty military personnel also won’t have expanded ballot access, the least we could do for our men and women in uniform.  New Jersey also won’t have online voter registration as a result, and won’t expand vote-by-mail opportunities.

“Governor Christie’s actions reflect a Republican Party committed to limiting ballot access across the country.  In Kansas, Alabama, and now New Jersey, we’ve recently seen Republican leadership take action that limits participation while doing nothing to make our elections more secure or cost effective.  Instead of championing efforts to restrict the vote, Republicans should learn from leaders in states like California and Oregon who worked to enact automatic voter registration this year.

“While Christie and other Republicans might believe that they win more elections when they limit who has access to the ballot box, Democrats remain committed to ensuring that every eligible citizen is able to register, every registered voter is able to vote, and that every vote is accurately counted.

“For a candidate struggling to pick up any votes at all and relegated to the kids’ table tomorrow night, you’d think Governor Christie would agree that every vote matters.”