DOJ Launches Investigation Into New Jersey Noncitizen Voter Registration Error
The Department of Justice has launched a formal investigation into New Jersey‘s admission that approximately 6,600 non-citizens were mistakenly registered to vote, giving Gov. Mikie Sherrill five days to turn over detailed records related to the incident. Federal officials are seeking information on how the registrations occurred and what steps the state has taken to correct the problem.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon sent a letter demanding the names, nationalities, voter registration dates, and voting histories of the affected individuals, including the roughly 400 non-citizens who reportedly cast ballots before the error was discovered. The DOJ also requested documents detailing the state’s investigation into the software malfunction that allowed the registrations to occur.
New Jersey officials have said the problem was caused by a software error in the Motor Vehicle Commission’s automatic voter registration system between June 2023 and June 2024. Gov. Sherrill said her administration has already begun removing the erroneous registrations, launched an independent investigation, and plans to replace the software vendor involved.
The Justice Department said the information is necessary to determine whether federal election laws were violated and whether additional action is warranted. The investigation also comes as the administration continues broader efforts to strengthen election security and verify voter eligibility across the country.
The incident has renewed calls from Republicans for stricter voter verification measures, including legislation requiring proof of citizenship to register for federal elections. President Trump has repeatedly argued that stronger safeguards are needed to protect election integrity, citing the New Jersey case as evidence that vulnerabilities remain in existing voter registration systems.
Sherrill said her administration will cooperate with the investigation while also working to protect sensitive personal information. State officials maintain there is no evidence the registration error changed the outcome of any election, but federal investigators say they intend to determine exactly how the error occurred and ensure similar failures do not happen again.