DistantNews
Support us
New Jersey Voter Rolls Error Adds 6,600 Non-Citizens; Fewer Than 400 Voted
🇦🇷 Argentina /Elections & Politics

New Jersey Voter Rolls Error Adds 6,600 Non-Citizens; Fewer Than 400 Voted

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • New Jersey's voter registration system erroneously added approximately 6,600 non-citizens to the electoral roll due to a software glitch.
  • Preliminary investigations suggest fewer than 400 of these individuals actually voted in various elections.
  • The incident has fueled political debate over election integrity, with Republicans citing it to support the SAVE America Act.

A significant software malfunction in New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) system has led to the erroneous inclusion of around 6,600 non-citizens on the state's voter registration rolls. The error occurred when individuals applying for driver's licenses or state IDs indicated their non-citizen status, but the system automatically registered them as voters.

This occurred during the previous administration and, upon learning of this information, I immediately ordered my chief legal counsel to initiate an investigation to clarify what happened.

— Governor Mikie SherrillAddressing the discovery of non-citizens on the voter rolls.

Governor Mikie Sherrill expressed dismay over the situation, which transpired during a previous administration. She has ordered a thorough investigation and the immediate removal of any improperly registered individuals from the electoral rolls, specifically those added between June 2023 and June 2024. An initial review indicates that less than 400 of the affected non-citizens cast ballots across different elections.

I also ordered the removal of the electoral records of all residents who were erroneously added between June 2023 and June 2024.

— Governor Mikie SherrillDetailing immediate actions taken following the discovery.

Authorities noted that the votes cast by these individuals did not favor any single political party. The erroneously registered voters were affiliated with Democratic, Republican, and independent parties and were spread across the state, showing no discernible pattern that would suggest a political bias. The governor also announced that the MVC is in the process of replacing the vendor responsible for the faulty system.

As a military veteran who swore to defend our Constitution and as a former federal prosecutor, I believe the integrity of our elections is fundamental to our democracy.

— Governor Mikie SherrillEmphasizing the importance of election integrity.

Former President Donald Trump seized on the incident, posting on Truth Social that it exposed a "corrupt election system" and advocating for the SAVE America Act. This proposed legislation aims to introduce new requirements for federal election participation, with Republicans using the New Jersey case to bolster their arguments for its passage and to raise concerns about election integrity.

A corrupt election system! SAVE America!

— Donald TrumpReacting to the New Jersey voter registration issue on Truth Social.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog