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, NJ 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 former Gov Murphy, 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.
Virginia-based 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.
The White House recently accused New Jersey of having more than 35,000 non-citizens registered to vote.
Sherrill on Tuesday downplayed those claims and questioned the accuracy of the administration’s statistics.
The current administration is suing New Jersey in federal court for access to the state’s unredacted voter rolls
Some are calling for investigations and for an end to automatic voter registration at motor vehicle locations.
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”.
By Benjamin Leynse, New Jersey Monitor
