New Jersey Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill disclosed Monday that a software error in the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission system led to the registration of roughly 6,600 non-U.S. citizens on voter rolls between June 2023 and June 2024 — a period that spanned the final years of the previous administration.
In a detailed statement released amid growing national scrutiny over election integrity, Sherrill said she learned of the issue last week.
The glitch occurred despite individuals explicitly indicating they were not U.S. citizens when applying for driver’s licenses and identification cards.
“Last week I learned that a serious software error in New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle System led to the registration of roughly 6,600 people who indicated that they were not U.S. citizens between June 2023 and June 2024, almost three years prior to my taking office,” Sherrill stated.
“These individuals answered ‘no’ when asked on a keypad whether they were a U.S. citizen when applying for drivers’ licenses and identification cards, but through no fault of their own, the system registered them anyway,” Sherrill added.
The error took place under the previous Democratic administration led by Gov. Phil Murphy.
Sherrill emphasized that she immediately directed her chief counsel to launch a full investigation upon learning of the problem.
“This happened under the previous administration and, upon learning this information, I immediately ordered my chief counsel to launch an investigation to get to the bottom of what occurred,” Sherrill said.
“I also ordered the removal of any residents from our voter rolls who were erroneously added between June 2023 and June 2024. The new MVC Administrator that I appointed has begun the process of replacing the vendor responsible for administering the system,” Sherrill continued.
Preliminary analysis found that fewer than 400 of the individuals newly registered due to the error actually cast ballots.
Those votes were distributed across Democrats, Republicans, and unaffiliated voters and scattered throughout the state.
Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot and federal prosecutor, stressed her commitment to protecting election integrity.
“I want to underscore how seriously I take this matter. 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,” Sherrill said.
“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. This failure didn’t occur under my watch, but accountability starts now. I am taking action to prevent anything like it from occurring in the future and make sure those responsible are held accountable,” Sherrill added.
The Democratic governor contrasted her administration’s approach with what she described as politicization by the Trump administration.
The revelation comes as Republican-led efforts and federal reviews have highlighted vulnerabilities in motor-voter systems across multiple states, including New Jersey.
Earlier this year, the New Jersey GOP’s Election Integrity Task Force reported finding hundreds of non-citizens on voter rolls through public records requests, with some cases involving individuals who had voted in prior elections.
Non-citizen voting in federal and state elections is illegal under U.S. law.
Sherrill’s office has directed the removal of the erroneously registered individuals and is pursuing accountability for the vendor and prior oversight failures.
Officials have not released additional details on the scope of the investigation or a timeline for completing the voter roll purges and vendor transition.
The MVC did not immediately respond to requests for further comment on the specific software failure.
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