New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill ordered the immediate removal of approximately 6,600 noncitizens from the state voter rolls on Tuesday. A software error at the Motor Vehicle Commission incorrectly processed these individuals. A preliminary analysis indicates fewer than 400 of these improperly registered residents actually cast ballots in previous elections.
The disclosure arrives during a volatile national dispute over election security. Former President Donald Trump heavily criticized the voting system last week and alleged rampant noncitizen voting across the country. The affected New Jersey registrations spanned the political spectrum. The system categorized the individuals as Democrats, Republicans, and independents.
Automatic Registration Vulnerabilities
Sherrill stated that the noncitizens answered “no” to citizenship questions at the DMV. The flawed software registered them anyway through no fault of their own. The governor launched a formal investigation and ordered the state to drop the third-party software vendor, according to CBS News coverage of the 6,600 erroneous registrations.
The vulnerability persisted in the system between June 2023 and June 2024. The original coding failure actually occurred prior to Sherrill taking office. The software was implemented under the administration of former Democratic Governor Phil Murphy, a timeline detailed in a TIME magazine report.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin publicly claimed credit for pushing the state to act. Mullin posted on X: “Appreciate you responding back to our letter, @GovSherrillNJ. This should’ve been done a LONG time ago… As @DHSgov reported last week—New Jersey could have as many as 35,152 potential non-citizens registered to vote”.
This incident highlights a recurring vulnerability with automatic DMV registration systems nationwide. Similar data processing errors occurred recently in multiple jurisdictions, as noted by the Associated Press regarding previous improper registrations in Oregon and California. Oregon found 1,600 improper registrations in 2024. Colorado mailed 30,000 mistaken registration postcards in 2022.