New Jersey Says 6,600 Noncitizens were mistakenly registered to vote

Summary

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill disclosed that about 6,600 non-citizens were mistakenly registered to vote due to a software error at the Motor Vehicle Commission. Fewer than 400 of those individuals cast ballots. The incident may provide ammunition for Republican-backed voter ID legislation like the SAVE Act, and DHS claims the actual number of non-citizen registrations could be over 33,000. The disclosure highlights election administration failures and transparency efforts by a Democratic governor.

• New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill reveals a software error registered 6,600 self-identified non-citizens to vote between mid-2023 and mid-2024.
• Fewer than 400 of the erroneously registered individuals actually cast ballots.
• The Motor Vehicle Commission's applicant system vendor was identified as Demir, which also works with DHS on TSA PreCheck.
• DHS Secretary Mark Mullen thanked the governor but said one non-citizen vote cancels out a citizen's vote.
• The Trump administration uses the disclosure to push for the SAVE Act requiring voter ID, despite Democratic pushback.
• DHS estimates over 33,000 non-citizen registrations in New Jersey, far more than the state's reported figure.
• The incident may prompt other states to audit their voter rolls for similar registration errors.