Overview
- Governor Mikie Sherrill disclosed on July 21 that roughly 6,600 people who said they were noncitizens were recorded on New Jersey’s voter rolls and that about 400 of those individuals cast ballots.
- The state says a motor‑vehicle software error caused the problem and has blamed vendor IDEMIA while the company counters that state agencies asked for a settings change in June 2024 and bear responsibility.
- New Jersey has removed about 4,500 registrations and referred roughly 2,100 cases to county election officials to review eligibility and avoid wrongful disenfranchisement.
- The Justice Department opened a civil‑rights inquiry and sought unredacted voter records but a federal judge dismissed the DOJ’s lawsuit seeking the full database, and House Republican committees plus party groups have issued separate document and NVRA requests.
- Automatic voter registration at motor‑vehicle agencies depends on applicants’ attestations rather than documentary proof of citizenship, a design that experts say can create false positives and has prompted renewed GOP pushes for proof‑of‑citizenship rules while voting‑rights groups warn such rules risk wrongful removals.