New Jersey reveals mistake that registered 6,600 non-citizens to vote

NEW JERSEY -- New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced Tuesday that her administration uncovered a mistake in the state's Motor Vehicle Commission where 6,600 non-citizens were added to the state's voter rolls between June 2023 and June 2024.

They were added while applying for driver's licenses or identification cards.

Apparently they answered "no" when asked whether they were U.S. citizens but to no fault of their own, the MVC registered them to vote anyway.

Sherrill said she first heard about this last Wednesday and launched an investigation, leading to Tuesday's announcement.

The mix-up is being blamed on a vendor, IDEMIA, that will no longer be used.

"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."

An investigation has determined fewer than 400 actually ended up voting.

"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."

IDEMIA released the following statement on Tuesday:

"IDEMIA works with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, and has for more than 40 years, to support the process through which eligible individuals may indicate their interest in registering to vote when applying for or renewing a driver's license or state-issued identification card. 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."