New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill announced Tuesday that a software malfunction in the state's Motor Vehicle Commission led to more than 6,600 individuals who are not U.S. citizens being mistakenly added to the voter rolls over a one-year period ending in June 2024. Preliminary analysis indicates that fewer than 400 of those individuals actually cast ballots.
Sherrill, a Democrat who took office after the error occurred, said she was alerted to the problem last week and immediately ordered an investigation. “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,” she wrote on X.
The governor emphasized that the glitch originated in the state's motor vehicle system, where applicants for driver's licenses and other ID forms could indicate they were not citizens—yet the system still registered them to vote. “Through no fault of their own, the system registered them anyway,” Sherrill stated.
Sherrill, who was not in office when the error happened, stressed accountability. “This failure didn’t occur under my watch, but accountability starts now,” she said, vowing to prevent future occurrences and hold responsible parties accountable. She has already directed the removal of non-citizens from the rolls.
The revelation comes as President Trump continues to raise concerns about election security, echoing unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. In a speech last week, Trump repeated those allegations, which Democrats have dismissed as an effort to undermine confidence in the electoral system.
Sherrill pushed back against Trump’s narrative, stating, “Let me be clear: Donald Trump has zero credibility on the issue of election integrity. For more than ten years, he has worked to undermine Americans’ faith in our elections by spreading lies about legitimate election results, attempting to overturn a free and fair election, encouraging an attack on our Capitol, and defunding election security.”
The governor’s investigation is ongoing, and she has called for a full audit of the state’s voter registration processes. The incident has reignited debates over election integrity, with Republicans pointing to the error as evidence of systemic vulnerabilities, while Democrats argue it was a technical glitch that was promptly addressed.
New Jersey’s voter rolls are now under scrutiny, with Sherrill pledging to ensure that only eligible citizens are registered. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
