Software Vendor Says New Jersey Approved 6,600 Noncitizens For Voter Registration
The software company blamed by New Jersey officials for the mistaken registration of approximately 6,600 noncitizens to vote says the state, not the vendor, bears responsibility for approving the registrations. The dispute comes as federal investigators examine how hundreds of those individuals were ultimately able to cast ballots.
French technology company IDEMIA said every affected applicant accurately identified themselves as a noncitizen while applying for a driver’s license or state identification card. According to the company, all 6,600 individuals answered “No” when asked whether they were U.S. citizens but also indicated they wanted to register to vote, and that information was transmitted exactly as required by New Jersey’s system specifications.
An IDEMIA spokesperson said the company never changed or misrepresented anyone’s citizenship status and maintained that the records always showed the applicants were not U.S. citizens. The company argued that New Jersey election officials had access to that information and should have prevented the registrations from being approved.
New Jersey officials disputed the company’s account, insisting that records indicating an applicant was not a citizen should never have been forwarded to the Division of Elections. Gov. Mikie Sherrill has blamed the incident on a software error within the Motor Vehicle Commission system, announced that the vendor will be replaced, and ordered an outside investigation into what went wrong.
The controversy stems from registrations processed between 2023 and 2024 under former Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration. State officials have said fewer than 400 of the improperly registered individuals actually voted before the problem was discovered, and efforts are underway to remove all erroneous registrations from the voter rolls.
The dispute has intensified as the Department of Justice investigates the incident and seeks records related to the registrations and ballots cast. President Trump has cited the case as evidence that stronger election safeguards are needed, including requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration through the SAVE America Act.