New Jersey’s Governor Mikie Sherrill announced Tuesday that a software error in the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission system resulted in approximately 6,600 noncitizens being registered to vote, marking a significant administrative failure that took place under the previous administration.
The error occurred between June 2023 and June 2024, during the tenure of former Governor Phil Murphy. According to Sherrill’s announcement at a press conference in Trenton, individuals who answered “no” when asked whether they were U.S. citizens during driver’s license and identification card applications were nonetheless registered to vote due to the flawed system. “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 said.
Despite the large number of improper registrations, the scope of actual voting appears limited. According to the governor’s preliminary findings, fewer than 400 of the 6,600 noncitizens who were incorrectly registered actually cast ballots in elections. The individuals were registered across multiple party affiliations, with some listed as Democrats, some as Republicans, and a majority registered as unaffiliated voters. They were scattered throughout the state rather than concentrated in any particular region.
Sherrill said she learned about the error only last week, immediately after which she ordered her chief counsel to launch a comprehensive investigation. She has also directed state officials to remove all individuals who were mistakenly registered during the June 2023 to June 2024 period from the voter rolls. The governor emphasized the seriousness with which she views the matter, noting that “as a military veteran who swore an oath to defend our Constitution, and as a former federal prosecutor,” she believes “the integrity of our elections is fundamental to our democracy.”
The governor was highly critical of both the vendor responsible for the software and the previous administration’s handling of the situation. “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,” Sherrill said. “Let me be clear: this entire situation is unacceptable. 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, or took action when it happened years ago.”
To prevent similar errors in the future, Sherrill has ordered the Motor Vehicle Commission’s Chief Administrator Rosalie Johnson, who took office earlier this year, to begin replacing the vendor responsible for administering the system. Johnson, who previously served as Senior Deputy Director of the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles, brings extensive experience in motor vehicle agency operations and election security matters. Under her leadership in Colorado, she helped achieve a 97 percent REAL ID compliance rate and reduced average wait times significantly.
The announcement comes amid a broader national focus on voter roll accuracy. Earlier in July, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security sent letters to New Jersey and three other states alleging that preliminary reviews identified potential noncitizens on their voter rolls. The DHS letter to New Jersey Secretary of State Dale Caldwell indicated that as many as 35,152 potential noncitizens might be registered to vote in the state. However, Sherrill emphasized that the Motor Vehicle Commission software error she disclosed is distinct from that federal review and represents a specific, identifiable problem with a documented cause.
The governor addressed the timing of her announcement in relation to national political discussions surrounding election integrity. “We have no evidence at this time that any elections were swayed,” Sherrill said, while also pointedly criticizing assertions made at the federal level about voter fraud. “Donald Trump has zero credibility on the issue of election integrity,” she said. “When we find a problem, we don’t hide it, deny it, or invent conspiracies. We investigate it, we fix it, and we tell the public. That’s what accountability and good governance look like.”
Sherrill assured New Jersey residents that the state remains committed to maintaining election integrity. “New Jerseyans should remain confident that eligible citizens can vote, lawful votes will be counted, and election integrity will be protected,” she said. The governor’s office has indicated that the Division of Elections is working to ensure anyone who was illegally registered is promptly removed from the voter rolls. The removal process and the investigation into how the error occurred are ongoing.