New Jersey officials face pressure over noncitizen voter registration records

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin expressed interest in working with New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill to secure state elections following a congressional deadline regarding a voter registration scandal. The deadline, which passed on August 17, concerned the turnover of records related to an incident involving the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC).

Between June 2023 and June 2024, approximately 6,600 individuals who identified as noncitizens were mistakenly registered to vote after their information was transmitted from the MVC to the Division of Elections. Governor Sherrill attributed the issue to a software error that was corrected in June 2024. While the governor ordered the removal of ineligible registrations, the administration has previously resisted federal requests for personally identifiable information from voter records.

It remains unclear what specific level of cooperation has been reached, as neither Sherrill nor Lieutenant Governor Dale Caldwell has detailed a new agreement with the Department of Homeland Security. Congressional Republicans and state officials continue to press for investigations into how these noncitizens were added to the voter rolls.