New Jersey MVC software error registered 6,600 non-citizens to vote, Gov. Sherrill says
TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced Tuesday that a software error within the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission led to the registration of roughly 6,600 people who indicated they were not U.S. citizens between June 2023 and June 2024.
What we know:
Gov. Sherrill said the error occurred under the previous administration and involved individuals who answered "no" when asked if they were U.S. citizens while applying for driver’s licenses and identification cards. Despite their answers, the system registered them to vote.
"Upon learning this information, I immediately ordered my chief counsel to launch an investigation to get to the bottom of what occurred. I also ordered the removal of any residents from our voter rolls who were erroneously added between June 2023 and June 2024," Sherrill said in a statement.
The new Motor Vehicle Commission administrator has started the process of replacing the vendor responsible for the system, according to the governor.
What they're saying:
The state's preliminary analysis found that fewer than 400 of the newly registered individuals actually voted.
These voters were registered as Democrats, Republicans and Unaffiliated, and were scattered across the state.
"I am appalled by the reckless failures that allowed this to happen and the lack of transparency shown by those in charge at the time. This failure didn’t occur under my watch, but accountability starts now," Sherrill said in her statement that was issued Tuesday.
More than 6,000 non-citizens erroneously added to New Jersey voter rolls, governor says
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill says an error in New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle System let to about 6,600 non-citizens being registered to vote between June 2023 and June 2024. She says only about 400 of those individuals actually voted in elections and the state is taking immediate action to correct the error.
"I am taking action to prevent anything like it from occurring in the future and make sure those responsible are held accountable," she added.
Sherrill called the error and the amount of time it took to uncover the issue "unacceptable" and took aim at both the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and the previous administration.
"But let me be clear, this entire situation is unacceptable. It’s unacceptable that the vendor released software with such a glaring error. It’s unacceptable that the MVC took a year to get this issue fixed. And it’s unacceptable that no one in the previous administration brought this to light, demanded accountability, or took action when it happened years ago."
Dig deeper:
Sherrill's announcement comes less than a week after President Donald Trump announced his administration had released documents that he claimed would reveal vulnerabilities in the U.S. election system.
"As the Trump Administration tries to weaponize elections for political gain, I am ensuring we protect our elections. Let me be clear: Donald Trump has zero credibility on the issue of election integrity," Sherrill said. "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."
What we don't know:
It is not yet clear how the software error went undetected for a full year or how long the process of removing ineligible voters and replacing the system vendor will take.
White House responds to New Jersey voter registration errors
The other side:
The White House issued a statement in response to Gov. Sherrill's announcement on Tuesday, calling the errors a "direct result of Democrat policies."
"This is the direct result of Democrat policies that refuse basic citizenship checks — and exactly why Congress must pass the SAVE America Act immediately. The bill requires states to use the Department of Homeland Security’s SAVE system to confirm citizenship before registering anyone to vote in federal elections, a safeguard New Jersey has refused to implement," the statement read in part.
The White House says the legislation would also mandate voter ID for federal elections.
"Every illegal ballot dilutes the voice of a lawful American citizen and undermines election integrity. These incidents are not random errors; they are the predictable result of Democrat policies that refuse to verify citizenship," the statement continued.
The Source: Information from the New Jersey Governor's Office and previous reporting.