New Jersey removes 6,600 non-citizens from voter rolls after software error

A software error in New Jersey mistakenly registered 6,600 non-U.S. citizens to vote between 2023 and 2024, with nearly 400 casting ballots. Gov. Mikie Sherrill blamed the vendor, IDEMIA, and the previous administration. The Trump administration is using the incident to push for the SAVE America Act, while the Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the matter.

Software error voter registrations

• ▪Fewer than 400 of the improperly registered non-citizens cast ballots in recent elections
• ▪The improperly registered voters included Democrats, Republicans, and Unaffiliated voters scattered across New Jersey
• ▪The erroneous voter registrations occurred between June 2023 and June 2024
• ▪A software error at New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commission mistakenly registered approximately 6,600 non-U.S. citizens to vote
• ▪The error occurred when applicants for driver's licenses correctly indicated they were not citizens, but the system registered them anyway

Federal investigation by DOJ

• ▪The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division is investigating the incident as a potential "unlawful dilution of American votes."
• ▪DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin claimed New Jersey could have as many as 35,152 potential non-citizens on its voter rolls

IDEMIA vendor software flaw

• ▪The state of New Jersey is replacing the vendor responsible for the software, identified as IDEMIA
• ▪IDEMIA stated that the New Jersey Division of Elections is ultimately responsible for verifying voter eligibility

State accountability under Murphy

• ▪New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill announced the error on or around July 21, 2026, stating she learned of it the previous week
• ▪The software flaw began in 2023 under the previous administration of Governor Phil Murphy

SAVE America Act push

• ▪The SAVE America Act would amend the National Voter Registration Act to require documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration
• ▪The Trump administration and Republicans are citing the incident to advocate for the passage of the SAVE America Act

Election integrity debate

• ▪Governor Sherrill stated that President Trump has "zero credibility on the issue of election integrity" and spreads "lies" about U.S. elections
• ▪A 2026 Bipartisan Policy Center report concluded there is no evidence that noncitizen voting has been significant enough to impact an election’s outcome