Software Glitch Enrolls 6,600 ‘Non-Citizens’ Onto New Jersey Voter List? Governor Says Yes
More than 6,000 non-citizens were mistakenly placed on New Jersey’s voter rolls due to a software error at the state Motor Vehicles Commission, Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced Tuesday.
According to Sherrill, the glitch occurred between June 2023 and June 2024, prior to her taking office. During that timeframe, roughly 6,600 individuals applying for driver’s licenses or identification cards answered “no” on a keypad when asked if they were U.S. citizens, but the system registered them to vote anyway.
“This happened under the previous administration and, upon learning this information, I immediately ordered my chief counsel to launch an investigation to get to the bottom of what occurred,” Sherrill said in a statement. “I also ordered the removal of any residents from our voter rolls who were erroneously added between June 2023 and June 2024.”
A preliminary analysis by the state indicates that fewer than 400 of the newly registered individuals actually cast ballots. The affected individuals were spread across the state and were registered as Democrats, Republicans, and Unaffiliated voters.
Sherrill added that the state’s newly appointed Motor Vehicles Commission administrator has started the process to replace the vendor responsible for running the system.
“I want to underscore how seriously I take this matter,” Sherrill stated. “As a military veteran who swore an oath to defend our Constitution, and as a former federal prosecutor, I believe the integrity of our elections is fundamental to our democracy. This failure didn’t occur under my watch, but accountability starts now.”
The announcement comes shortly after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin claimed a federal review uncovered over 250,000 non-citizens registered to vote across four states: California, Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
“This shouldn’t be a red or blue state issue: ONLY Americans should elect American leaders,” Mullin wrote Friday in a post on X, adding that the agency was putting governors on notice to ensure secure elections.
When reached for additional comment, Sherrill’s office referred back to her statement issued Tuesday.