Published on July 21 | Updated on July 22
SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Republicans in New Jersey are calling for a federal investigation after it was revealed more than 6,000 noncitizens were improperly registered to vote.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Tuesday said the issue stemmed from a 2023 software problem at Motor Vehicle Commission offices that automatically registered people to vote even though those people checked a box saying they were ineligible to vote as noncitizens.
Sherrill said she is appalled by the reckless failure, which did not occur under her administration; but, she said, “accountability starts now.”
She called out the previous administration for not bringing this mistake to light when it was first discovered in 2024.
“I learned of this last Wednesday, and I immediately ordered my chief counsel to launch a comprehensive investigation. Currently, the Division of Elections is working to ensure anyone who was illegally registered is removed from the voter rolls,” she said.
New Jersey Republicans said they warned everyone about this risk back when the laws were passed for automatic voter registration and to provide driver’s licenses to non-citizens in 2018 and 2019. State GOP officials said they were dismissed and ridiculed for doing so.
“Months ago, we warned that our initial findings were just the tip of the iceberg and unfortunately, we were right all along,” said Christine Giordano Hanlon, chairwoman of the New Jersey Republican Party, in a video posted to social media.
“The public deserves to know why this was covered up and who was responsible for keeping this critical information from the public.”
North Jersey state Sen. Joe Pennachio said the fact this was known for two years and nothing was done is reason enough for federal authorities to take over the investigation. He also noted his own concerns about the transparency and diligence with which Sherrill will investigate the matter.
Of the 6,600 illegal registrations, Sherrill said fewer than 400 of them actually voted. She added that officials have been sending letters to people impacted by this error.
“This entire situation is unacceptable,” she added. “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.”
The White House has claimed there are more than 35,000 illegal registrations in New Jersey.
The governor said the state is searching for a new vendor and taking steps to ensure this never happens again.
Of the illegal registrations, fewer than 400 actually voted
Of the illegal registrations, fewer than 400 actually voted
