FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 6, 2026
Media Contact:
Jonah Anderson
GOVERNOR MEYER SIGNS JOHN LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS ACT, STRENGTHENING VOTING RIGHTS PROTECTIONS IN DELAWARE
WILMINGTON, Del. — Governor Matt Meyer today signed House Bill 444, the Delaware John Lewis Voting Rights Act, establishing comprehensive state-level voting rights protections to ensure every Delawarean has an equal opportunity to participate in the democratic process.
Joined by Representative Larry Lambert, Senator Marie Pinkney, Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown, civil rights advocates and community leaders at Shiloh Baptist Church, Governor Meyer signed the legislation on the anniversary of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. Founded in 1875, Shiloh Baptist Church is Delaware’s oldest African American Baptist congregation, making it a fitting location to commemorate the legislation.
“Today, we sent a clear message to the nation: when Washington retreats on voting rights, Delaware steps up,” said Governor Matt Meyer. “Democracy doesn’t disappear overnight; it disappears when good people convince themselves someone else will protect it. By signing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, we’re ensuring that every Delawarean can control their own future and exercise the most fundamental right granted to them by our Constitution: the right to vote.”
“It has only been 61 years since Black Americans gained the right to vote without obstruction, and yet we are already seeing our hard-fought voting protections being stripped away,” said House Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown. “But Delaware will not go back to a time where only one group has a say in our democratic process. We are a state built on progress, not control; we celebrate diversity and encourage more voices to come to the table. That is what makes us strong. And now that the John Lewis Voting Rights Act has been signed into law, we will continue to grow and change to reflect the will of our people, no matter what happens on the federal level.”
“As the Honorable John Lewis once said: ‘Freedom is not a state; it is an act… Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society.’ Today, our state took an important step toward fulfilling that responsibility as the Delaware John Lewis Voting Rights Act was signed into law,” said Representative Larry Lambert, sponsor of HB 444. “I’m deeply grateful to my colleagues in the General Assembly, to Governor Meyer, and to the many advocates — including at the Legal Defense Fund and the Delaware ACLU — who helped get this bill over the finish line so that Delawareans can count on their right to vote being protected.”
“Here in Delaware, we know that a fair democracy depends on equal representation and inclusion in our voting process so that those in elected office are truly representative of the people they serve. At a time when federal voting rights protections are being eroded in our country, Delaware is once again leading as the First State – becoming the first in the nation to enshrine these protections into state law in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Callais ruling,” said Senator Marie Pinkney, lead Senate sponsor of HB 444. “The Delaware John Lewis Voting Rights Act does just that – it protects Delaware voters from voter suppression and dilution, while enshrining crucial protections that uphold our shared commitment to equal representation and opportunity.”
House Bill 444 establishes a Delaware Voting Rights Act that prohibits voter discrimination, voter suppression and vote dilution while creating mechanisms to challenge violations of voting rights protections. The legislation also requires the Department of Elections to provide language assistance to expand access to the ballot for Delaware voters.
The law allows members of protected classes, or organizations representing them, to bring civil actions alleging violations of voting rights protections while providing political subdivisions the opportunity to address alleged discrimination before litigation proceeds.
The legislation comes in response to recent changes in federal voting rights protections and reflects Delaware’s commitment to ensuring elections remain free, fair and accessible for all eligible voters.
The bill was developed through collaboration among Representative Lambert, Senator Pinkney, the ACLU of Delaware, the Governor’s Office, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the League of Women Voters, and other voting rights advocates committed to strengthening Delaware’s election laws.
Governor Meyer was joined by Representative Larry Lambert, Senator Marie Pinkney, Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown, leaders from the ACLU of Delaware, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Shiloh Baptist Church, the League of Women Voters, and voting rights advocates from across Delaware.
House Bill 444 takes effect July 1, 2027.
Photos from the signing can be found here
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