New Jersey Admits Software Error Registered More Than 6,600 Non-Citizens To Vote

New Jersey officials acknowledged Monday that a software error in the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission mistakenly registered approximately 6,600 non-citizens to vote between June 2023 and June 2024, prompting an investigation and the removal of those registrations from the voter rolls. The disclosure comes amid heightened national scrutiny over election security and voter registration practices.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill said the problem stemmed from a flaw in the MVC’s voter registration system that processed voter registrations even when applicants indicated they were not U.S. citizens. According to state officials, fewer than 400 of those improperly registered ultimately cast ballots before the error was discovered.

Sherrill blamed the issue on the previous administration, saying the software defect went undetected for months. She announced that the state has begun removing the affected individuals from the voter rolls, hired an independent law firm to investigate what went wrong, and plans to replace the software vendor responsible for the registration system.

The revelation follows recent efforts by the Trump administration to identify non-citizens registered to vote across several states. Homeland Security officials have urged states to review their voter rolls, while congressional Republicans continue pushing legislation that would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections.

State officials said the erroneous registrations included Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters and were spread across counties throughout New Jersey. While officials maintain there is no evidence the error changed the outcome of any election, they acknowledged that the registrations should never have occurred and pledged to strengthen safeguards to prevent similar mistakes in the future.

The incident has intensified the debate over election integrity as federal and state officials continue reviewing voter registration systems. New Jersey officials said the investigation will determine how the software failed, identify any additional weaknesses in the registration process, and recommend further reforms to ensure only eligible citizens are added to the voter rolls.