New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Wednesday released the findings of an investigation into voter registration errors that led to thousands of noncitizens being placed on the state's voter rolls. The probe found that approximately 5,100 registrations were improperly entered due to a software error in the state's Motor Vehicle Commission, commonly known as the "motor voter" process.
Sherrill stated that her administration has worked to correct the errors left by the previous administration and ensure the voting rights of eligible New Jerseyans. "My administration has continued to move aggressively to fix the error at the Motor Vehicle Commission under the previous (Trenton) administration, to correct our voter rolls, and to protect the voting rights of eligible New Jerseyans," Sherrill said, describing her investigation as "what accountable government looks like."
She contrasted her approach with that of the Trump administration and Republicans, whom she accused of seeking to exploit the issue for political gain. "That stands in contrast to the Trump Administration and Republicans, whose only interest has been in trying to use this issue for political gain," Sherrill said.
The findings indicated that about 5,100 names were moved to a deleted status because they lacked additional eligibility attestations beyond their initial registration, which was deemed erroneous. Another 1,450 registrants were marked as "rejected" pending review by county officials. Sherrill's report indicated that fewer than 400 individuals who were incorrectly registered subsequently voted in recent elections.
The findings drew a sharp response from Republicans in the state. Senate Minority Leader Anthony Bucco, R-Boonton, questioned the scope of the investigation, stating, "New Jerseyans deserve to know exactly what happened, how it happened, and whether there are other problems we have yet to uncover." Bucco called for complete transparency and a bipartisan effort to restore confidence in the state's election system.
Earlier this week, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated that Sherrill had agreed to cooperate with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prevent noncitizens from voting illegally in New Jersey. Mullin cited correspondence from the state's counsel as evidence of this cooperation, suggesting that the 35,000 potential noncitizen registrations identified by DHS might be just the beginning. However, a source close to the matter disputed the existence of a formal cooperation agreement with DHS or the Trump administration, suggesting Mullin may have been referring to a response from the Lieutenant Governor's office to a letter from House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil and Rep. Jeff Van Drew.
Mullin's office also identified four noncitizens of Israeli, Jamaican, Liberian, and Indian nationality who allegedly cast illegal ballots in recent elections and are now facing charges.
A spokesperson for Sherrill, Darwin Pham, reiterated the governor's focus on secure elections and criticized what he called the Trump and Republican parties' consistent attempts to use election integrity issues for political leverage. "We will continue working to fully remediate the issue left behind by the previous (Trenton) administration, and ensure the voting rights of every eligible New Jerseyan are protected."
Chuck DeVore, a commentator, has previously raised concerns about voter registration laws at Department of Motor Vehicles that do not independently verify citizenship, pointing to the New Jersey case as an example of potential vulnerabilities that could lead to noncitizen registrations.