New Jersey mistakenly registered nearly 6,600 noncitizens to vote because of a software error in the state Motor Vehicle Commission’s licensing system, and fewer than 400 of them later cast ballots, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said on Tuesday.
Sherrill said the “serious software error” occurred between June 2023 and June 2024, when applicants for driver’s licenses or identification cards who correctly indicated they were not U.S. citizens were nonetheless registered to vote. She said she has ordered that all erroneous registrations be removed from the voter rolls, launched an investigation and directed the MVC to replace the software vendor responsible for 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.”
She added that she is “appalled by the reckless failures that allowed this to happen and the lack of transparency shown by those in charge at the time.” The governor also pledged to hold those responsible accountable while preventing a recurrence.
The erroneous registrations represented 0.1% of the state’s active voters, and the ballots represented 0.009% of the votes cast in the 2024 general election, said David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research.
“Noncitizen registration remains extremely rare, and noncitizen voting is infinitesimally rare,” Becker stated.
However, the White House cited the error in renewing its call for Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, arguing that proof of citizenship is needed to safeguard elections.
“Every illegal ballot dilutes the voice of a lawful American citizen and undermines election integrity,” the White House said in a statement. “These incidents are not random errors; they are the predictable result of Democrat policies that refuse to verify citizenship. The American people demand secure elections. Congress must pass the SAVE America Act without delay.”
Sherrill pushed back, saying Trump “has zero credibility on the issue of election integrity.”
Sherrill rejected that argument, stating that U.S. President Donald Trump “has zero credibility on the issue of election integrity.”
“For more than 10 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 when he couldn’t accept the will of the voters and defunding election security at the federal level,” Sherrill said.
The Election Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council, which comprises federal and state agencies, including Trump administration officials, called the 2020 election “the most secure in American history.”
Opponents of the SAVE America Act argue that documented cases of noncitizen voting are rare and contend the bill’s documentary proof-of-citizenship requirement could prevent eligible U.S. citizens from voting if they cannot readily obtain the required documents.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on the Senate floor last week that the measure lacks the support needed to pass the Senate.
“Republicans should know by now that it ain’t gonna fly with us, with the courts, or with the American people,” he said. “I don’t care how Republicans try to package their plan to resurrect the old ghost of Jim Crow—we will kill it.”
