‘Software Error’ Led To 6,000 Non-Citizens Being Registered To Vote, NJ Governor Says

By Benjamin Leynse | New Jersey Monitor

About 6,600 non-citizens were registered to vote in New Jersey because of a software glitch in the state Motor Vehicle Commission’s automatic voter registration system, and about 400 of them cast ballots, Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Tuesday.

Sherrill, who said the error began in June 2023 and was not fixed until a year later, said the state has no evidence at this time that any elections were swayed. She noted that the error occurred when her predecessor, Phil Murphy, was governor. Sherrill assumed office in January.

“This entire situation is unacceptable,” Sherrill said. “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.”

Sherrill said she learned about the issue just last week, is investigating the software error, and will make the probe’s findings public.

A spokesman for Murphy, like Sherrill a Democrat, did not return a request for comment.

Sherrill said the error happened when some non-citizens applied for driver’s licenses or identification cards at the Motor Vehicle Commission and were asked if they wanted to register to vote. They indicated on a form that they were non-citizens, but the software marked them as citizens eligible to vote anyway, Sherrill said.

Idemia, the state vendor identified by Sherrill on Tuesday, sent an unsigned statement defending its work with the Motor Vehicle Commission and placing blame for any voter registration mistakes with state officials.

“Idemia’s role is to transmit information through the motor vehicle system. The voter registration information is transmitted to the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Elections, which is ultimately responsible for verifying eligibility to vote. Information submitted by Idemia must still be validated and adjudicated by the Division of Elections,” the statement reads.

Sherrill said Idemia’s software would be phased out.

Tuesday’s news comes days after President Donald Trump in a prime-time address to the nation alleged vulnerabilities in the United States’ election system, and after his administration accused New Jersey of having more than 35,000 non-citizens registered to vote. New Jersey has 6.6 million voters.

Sherrill on Tuesday downplayed those claims and questioned the accuracy of the administration’s statistics, saying her office asked for evidence and did not hear back. The governor also criticized Trump, saying he’s done more to undermine free elections than anyone in her lifetime.

“As the Trump administration tries to weaponize elections for political gain, I am ensuring that we protect our elections. Let me be clear. Donald Trump has zero credibility on the issue of election integrity. For the past 10 years, he’s cried wolf and peddled bizarre conspiracy theories about fraud with no evidence,” she said.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said New Jersey’s news underscores the importance of the SAVE America Act, a bill that proposes to restrict voter access by adding requirements to register and cast ballots, including photo IDs. Trump supports passage of the bill but it has yet to clear Congress.

“Democrats and their media allies have repeatedly said it is impossible for noncitizens to register to vote, let alone cast a ballot. Time and again, they have been proven wrong,” Jackson said.

The Trump administration is suing New Jersey in federal court for access to the state’s unredacted voter rolls.

New Jersey Republicans are calling for investigations and for an end to automatic voter registration at motor vehicle locations.

“To protect the sanctity of our elections, we must end automatic voter registration at every MVC immediately,” state Sen. Mike Testa (R-Cumberland) posted on social media.

The New Jersey GOP last month said it had identified hundreds of non-citizens who had been registered to vote and at least 30 cases of them illegally casting votes, citing a “key vulnerability” at the Motor Vehicle Commission. On Tuesday, the party’s chair, Christine Giordano Hanlon, texted a New Jersey Monitor reporter about Sherrill’s revelations.

“Vindication!” Hanlon wrote.

In a statement from the New Jersey GOP, Hanlon wrote that Republicans “will continue to shine a light on a legitimate concern should not be partisan.”

“Unfortunately, the Governor chose to deflect blame for the State’s failings to President Trump rather than focusing on the issue at hand,” she wrote.

Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell, who as New Jersey secretary of state oversees the state’s elections, said Tuesday the Sherrill administration is working to “ensure that no ineligible voters are left on the rolls.

“The focus of this administration has always been ardently protecting and defending New Jersey’s elections and the eligible voters participating in them,” Caldwell said.

New Jersey Monitor is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. New Jersey Monitor maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Terrence McDonald for questions: info@newjerseymonitor.com. Follow New Jersey Monitor on Facebook and Twitter.