New Jersey Software Error Improperly Registered 6,600 Non-U.S. Citizens to Vote

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Tuesday that a software error registered about 6,600 non-U.S. citizens to vote even though they had answered “no” when asked about citizenship during driver’s license and identification-card applications. The registrations occurred between June 2023 and June 2024.

The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission system enrolled the applicants through the state’s automatic “Motor Voter” process. The error occurred while former Gov. Phil Murphy was in office. The applicants’ keypad responses did not prevent the registrations.

A preliminary state review found that fewer than 400 of the affected people cast ballots. Sherrill ordered the state to remove the erroneously added names from its voter rolls immediately.

“These individuals answered 'no' when asked on a keypad whether they were a U.S. citizen when applying for drivers' licenses and identification cards, but through no fault of their own, the system registered them anyway,” Sherrill said.

She also ordered her chief counsel to investigate how the failure occurred. The inquiry will examine actions under the previous administration and the system that processed the registrations.

“I am appalled by the reckless failures that allowed this to happen and the lack of transparency shown by those in charge at the time. This failure didn't occur under my watch, but accountability starts now,” Sherrill said.

New Jersey is removing registrations created by the glitch

Sherrill directed officials to remove residents added to the rolls during the affected period. The registrations included Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters across all 21 New Jersey counties.

The state’s initial review counted fewer than 400 ballots cast by people in the affected group. The announcement did not describe those ballots as the result of intentional misrepresentation by the voters involved.

“I immediately ordered my chief counsel to launch an investigation to get to the bottom of what occurred. I also ordered the removal of any residents from our voter rolls who were erroneously added between June 2023 and June 2024,” Sherrill said.

The affected registrations arose from a technical failure, rather than an affirmative citizenship response. The applicants had selected “No” at the citizenship prompt, according to the governor’s statement.

The state is replacing the software vendor

Rosalie Johnson, the MVC acting chair and chief administrator, announced that New Jersey terminated its contract with IDEMIA, the vendor responsible for the faulty software. The state is onboarding a replacement vendor.

A new system is expected to launch by early 2027. Until then, the vendor change is the state’s main announced technology response to the failure.

The error involved the “Motor Voter” automatic-registration software used during license and identification-card applications. The system overrode the applicants’ negative responses and created voter registrations.

The governor’s investigation will focus on the failure and the lack of transparency she attributed to officials in charge at the time. The software registrations occurred under Murphy’s administration, but Sherrill said accountability now rests with her administration.

Federal officials cite a larger possible New Jersey total

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the state disclosure followed a broader federal review. He said federal data indicated that New Jersey could have as many as 35,152 potential noncitizens on its voter rolls.

“I appreciate Governor Sherrill’s transparency in acknowledging this failure. However, our data suggests the Garden State could have as many as 35,152 potential noncitizens registered to vote. Just ONE illegal vote cancels out the vote of a law-abiding American citizen,” Mullin said.

The Department of Homeland Security sent a formal letter on July 17, 2026, to New Jersey, California, Pennsylvania and Nevada. The letter warned of tens of thousands of non-citizens on the states’ voter rolls and gave them two weeks to respond.

The New Jersey announcement identified about 6,600 registrations tied to the software failure. Mullin’s separate figure described a broader pool of potential noncitizens, not only the registrations linked to the MVC error.

DHS has directed states to adopt additional election-security measures. Those measures include sending voter rolls through a revamped federal database as a condition of receiving certain federal funds through FEMA.

Registration and voting carry different legal questions

Federal law generally prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections under 18 U.S.C. § 611. The state’s preliminary analysis found that fewer than 400 people in the affected group voted.

A registration created by an administrative error does not by itself establish that an applicant intentionally claimed U.S. citizenship. Sherrill emphasized that the applicants were registered “through no fault of their own.”

USCIS policy generally treats a false claim to U.S. citizenship as a permanent bar to naturalization. A person may avoid that consequence if they can prove that an administrative mistake created the registration and that they did not affirmatively claim citizenship.

The distinction leaves the state investigation with two tasks: correcting the voter rolls and determining how the registrations were generated. The announced response targets the system failure and people who were enrolled without choosing citizenship.

DHS General Counsel James Percival separately directed ICE on April 22, 2026, to enforce stricter penalties, including deportation, against non-citizens who intentionally vote in American elections. The New Jersey investigation is intended to protect people whose registration resulted from the software error and who did not willfully misrepresent their status.

The White House is using the disclosure to press legislation

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said the New Jersey failure showed why the administration supports the SAVE America Act.

“American voters deserve to have confidence that our elections are safe and secure. This latest incident underscores the absolute necessity of the SAVE America Act,” Jackson said.

The state’s technology replacement is expected before the new system launches in early 2027. The investigation and voter-roll removals proceed as federal officials seek responses from four states to the July 17 letter.