NJ to purge 6,600 noncitizen voter rolls after error

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill announced on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, that approximately 6,600 people who identified as noncitizens were erroneously registered to vote due to a software error in the state's Motor Vehicle Commission system. A preliminary state analysis indicates that fewer than 400 of those individuals subsequently cast ballots in elections.

According to the governor, the error occurred between June 2023 and June 2024, a period during which the previous administration, led by Democratic Governor Phil Murphy, was in office. Sherrill, who took office in January 2026, stated she learned of the issue last week. She said that individuals applying for driver's licenses or state identification cards answered "no" when asked on a keypad if they were U.S. citizens, but the system incorrectly registered them to vote anyway.

Sherrill said she has ordered the removal of all erroneously added registrations from the voter rolls and has directed her chief counsel to launch an investigation. She also stated that the vendor responsible for administering the system, Idemia, is being replaced. The governor emphasized that the registrants were scattered across the state and were...