DOJ probes New Jersey voter registration software error

The Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation after New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill disclosed that a software error led to the improper voter registration of approximately 6,600 noncitizens, nearly 400 of whom subsequently cast ballots. The governor announced the findings on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, attributing the failure to a glitch in the state's Motor Vehicle Commission system.

According to Governor Sherrill, the error occurred between June 2023 and June 2024. Individuals applying for driver's licenses or state identification cards who correctly answered "no" when asked if they were U.S. citizens were nevertheless automatically added to the voter rolls. A preliminary state analysis indicates that slightly fewer than 400 of those improperly registered individuals voted in elections. Sherrill stated the voters were registered as Democrats, Republicans, and unaffiliated voters and were spread across the state.

The governor maintained that there is no evidence the improper votes altered the outcome of any election. However, she criticized the previous state administration for not uncovering or addressing the problem sooner. She emphasized that the failure...