A billionaire businessman is helping charities that protect voter rights raise money just ahead of  their busy Election Day efforts.

William Louis-Dreyfus said in an advertisement in the online and print editions of Tuesday’s New York Times that he would provide $1-million to help charities that are trying to challenge new state laws that limit access to the polls for those who lack identification.

Mr. Louis-Dreyfus, who amassed a fortune estimated at more than $3-billion in the global commodities business, called on other wealthy people to join him in the effort and directed donors to the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University.

Mr. Louis-Dreyfus, a supporter of President Obama and other Democratic candidates, says he became concerned after hearing news reports that the laws might restrict voting among students, minorities, and people with disabilities—groups that …

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