New Jersey Addresses System Glitch That Registered Noncitizens to Vote
- Joshua L.
- Jul 28
- 2 min read
TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey state officials are taking steps to audit and update the state’s voter rolls after a technology vendor error led to the automatic voter registration of approximately 6,600 noncitizens between June 2023 and June 2024.
The issue was publicly disclosed on July 21, 2026, by Governor Mikie Sherrill, who took office earlier this year. According to state officials, the registration errors occurred under the administration of former Governor Phil Murphy due to a software flaw in the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) system.
Software Error Triggers Improper Registrations
The registrations took place when individuals applying for state driver's licenses or identification cards answered "no" on digital keypads when asked if they were U.S. citizens. Despite those negative responses, the software transmitted their information to election boards to be added to the voter rolls.
State officials emphasized that the affected individuals were registered through no fault or deliberate action of their own. Although the MVC corrected the underlying system error in June 2024, the public was not informed of the issue at that time.
Governor Sherrill stated that her administration learned of the error in mid-July 2026 and immediately ordered an investigation led by her chief counsel, alongside directives to audit state registration lists and replace the technology vendor, Idemia.
Scope and Election Impact
A preliminary analysis by the state indicates that fewer than 400 of the newly registered individuals subsequently cast ballots in past state or local elections.
The state's Division of Elections reported that those registered spanned political affiliations—including Democratic, Republican, and unaffiliated voters—and were distributed across multiple counties. Election authorities stated there is currently no evidence that any election outcomes were altered as a result of the erroneous registrations.
State officials reported progress on voter roll maintenance, indicating that over 4,500 records had been removed while remaining entries were flagged for further review by county election boards. Authorities noted that additional verification is necessary, as some individuals who were noncitizens at the time of their MVC transaction may have since acquired U.S. citizenship.
The vendor, Idemia, stated that its software transmitted data according to approved operational protocols and noted that verifying final eligibility remains the statutory responsibility of the Department of State's Division of Elections.
Federal Inquiry and State Response
Following the state's public disclosure, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division sent a formal inquiry to state officials. Citing federal oversight under the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act, the Department of Justice requested that New Jersey provide personal identifying information—including full names, dates of birth, nationalities, and residential addresses—for all 6,600 individuals, as well as specific voting histories for those who cast ballots.
In a written response, Governor Sherrill declined to turn over the requested individual records, citing federal and state privacy statutes, including the Privacy Act and the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act. The governor’s office maintained that the state is actively resolving the administrative error while maintaining public transparency and data privacy controls.
State investigative reviews remain ongoing, and federal authorities continue to evaluate the incident as part of broader inquiries into election list management.
Comments