More than 6K non-citizens registered to vote in New Jersey due to software issue: Sherrill

Over 6,000 people who were not U.S. citizens were erroneously registered to vote in New Jersey from June 2023 to June 2024 due to a software error in the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) said on Tuesday. 

Less than 400 individuals in this group actually voted, according to the state’s preliminary analysis.

Sherrill, who was not governor at the time this error occurred, said that she “immediately” launched an investigation into the matter after she was notified last week and has instructed the removal of any non-citizens added to the voter rolls. 

The governor said a “serious software error” occurred in the state’s Motor Vehicle System forms to apply for drivers’ licenses and other forms of state identification. Sherrill said that 6,600 people responded on these forms that they were not U.S. citizens and “through no fault of their own, the system registered them anyway.”

“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 wrote in a statement shared on the social platform X.

“This failure didn’t occur under my watch, but accountability starts now,” she continued. “I am taking action to prevent anything like it from occurring in the future and make sure those responsible are held accountable.”

This news comes amid renewed warnings from President Trump and his administration about weaknesses in the U.S. election system ahead of the midterm elections.

In a speech last week, the president repeated his unsubstantiated allegations of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to former President Biden. 

Democrats have accused the Trump administration of trying to sow distrust in the electoral system in order to target Democratic wins in November. 

“As the Trump Administration tries to weaponize elections for political gain, I am ensuring we protect our elections,” Sherrill said in her statement. 

“Let me be clear: Donald Trump has zero credibility on the issue of election integrity,” the governor continued. “For more than ten years, he has worked to undermine Americans’ faith in our elections by spreading lies about legitimate election results, attempting to overturn a free and fair election, encouraging an attack on our Capitol when he couldn’t accept the will of the voters, and defunding election security at the federal level.”

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment. 

Updated at 1:58 p.m. EDT