Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) announced on Tuesday that her administration removed about 6,600 residents who identified as noncitizens from New Jersey’s voter rolls after the non-citizen residents were added due to a software error.
“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 said in a statement.
According to the governor, even though the residents answered “no” when asked if they were U.S. citizens, the software incorrectly registered them for the driver’s licenses and identification cards they had applied for. She said the noncitizens’ registration was “through no fault of their own.”
Sherrill said her administration launched an investigation into the error and ordered the removal of the noncitizens from the state’s voter rolls.
Still, some of the improperly registered voters cast their ballots in previous elections.
“Our preliminary analysis shows fewer than 400 individuals who were newly registered for the first time because of the error voted. They were registered as Democrats, Republicans and Unaffiliated voters and were scattered across the state,” Sherill said. Sherrill won the gubernatorial race in 2024 that flipped the seat, after former Republican Gov. Phil Murphy served two terms.
Sherrill’s statement comes as Democrats and Republicans spar over the integrity of the country’s voting systems, with Republican congress members and President Donald Trump raising concerns about the possibility of illegal immigrants voting in U.S. elections, and voter roles being accessed by foreign governments.
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The GOP has pushed legislation such as the SAVE America Act that would require a photo ID and other safeguards for Americans to vote, while Democrats have pushed back, arguing it could be a hindrance for some legal voters.
Sherrill’s statement on the incident, which she said occurred under her predecessor, was released just one week after Trump raised concerns about the sanctity of American elections in a televised primetime address.