New Jersey has removed thousands of voter registrations after discovering that a software error at the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) improperly registered approximately 6,600 people who had indicated they were not U.S. citizens. The mishap has prompted a state investigation, thousands of removals from the state’s voter rolls, and mounting scrutiny from congressional Republicans.
The error occurred between June 2023 and June 2024, before Gov. Mikie Sherrill took office. According to the governor’s office, affected applicants answered “no” when asked on an MVC keypad whether they were U.S. citizens while applying for driver’s licenses or identification cards. A software error nevertheless allowed them to be registered to vote.
Sherrill publicly disclosed the problem on July 21 after learning about it the previous week. She ordered an investigation by her chief counsel, directed officials to correct the voter rolls, and began the process of replacing the vendor responsible for the system.
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“The difference is simple: when we find a problem, we don’t hide it, deny it, or invent conspiracies. We investigate it, we fix it, and we tell the public. That’s what accountability and good governance look like, and that’s exactly what my administration is doing,” Sherrill said in an official statement.
Thousands removed amid review
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By Aug. 19, New Jersey officials said approximately 5,100 registrations had been placed in “deleted” status after investigators determined those individuals had been registered solely because of the software error and had no separate registration or attestation establishing eligibility.
Another roughly 1,450 registrations were changed to “rejected” status and referred to county election officials for further review. Those individuals cannot vote unless their eligibility is verified. The state also determined that approximately 340 people who were newly registered as a result of the software error subsequently cast ballots. That figure, however, does not establish that 340 noncitizens voted illegally.
Officials said approximately 220 people affected by the software error who voted also had previous voter registrations or other records indicating they may have been legally eligible. County officials are now reviewing those cases to avoid disenfranchising eligible voters.
The distinction has become a focus point amongst House Republicans as the controversy moves from a technical failure into a broader political dispute over election integrity.
House Republicans demand answers
On July 24, three days after Sherrill disclosed the error, Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.), chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight, and 18 other House Republicans sent the governor a letter seeking answers about how the registrations occurred and whether the problem affected elections.
The lawmakers submitted 12 questions and gave Sherrill until Aug. 21 to respond. Sherrill answered on the deadline, describing election integrity as a matter of “the utmost seriousness” while defending her administration’s response. “My administration is fully committed to ensuring that elections in New Jersey remain free and fair,” she wrote.
But the governor also accused Republicans of politicizing an error her administration had voluntarily disclosed. “Washington Republicans on the other hand, seem much more concerned with using the issue for political gain than they are with protecting our elections,” Sherrill wrote.
Republicans, meanwhile, have argued that the episode raises broader questions about safeguards intended to prevent ineligible residents from entering voter-registration systems. New Jersey Republicans have also called for a statewide audit amid questions over whether potentially problematic registrations exist outside the June 2023 to June 2024 window identified by the state.
Investigation continues
The underlying software failure itself is not in dispute. New Jersey has acknowledged that thousands of people were improperly placed on its voter rolls, and the state has taken action to remove or suspend those registrations. What remains unresolved is how the error persisted for approximately a year, why it was not detected sooner, and how many of the individuals who ultimately voted were actually ineligible.
New Jersey officials say county election authorities are reviewing the remaining cases before voting begins, while the broader investigation into how the MVC failure occurred remains ongoing.
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