N.J. Gov. Mikie Sherrill refuses to hand over information to DOJ on 6,600 noncitizens who registered to vote
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill revealed earlier this week that thousands of people who indicated they were not U.S. citizens were able to register to vote in recent New Jersey elections, adding hundreds of them actually cast ballots.
The governor blamed it on a software computer glitch at the Motor Vehicle Commission and on former Gov. Phil Murphy.
As the Department of Justice demands information on those who voted, the software company in question fired back Thursday, saying the state is responsible.
Sherrill refuses DOJ's demands
Sherrill responded to a DOJ letter asking for the names and addresses of the 400 noncitizens who cast ballots, and of the 6,600 who registered to vote, saying she's not going to turn over that data.
"It is not a surprise to me ... that the Trump administration wants to immediately weaponize this against people as opposed to focusing on making sure we're running free and fair elections," Sherrill said.
Sherrill said she has launched her own investigation.
The DOJ responded by saying, "It is illegal for any noncitizen to vote in a federal election."
State, MVC software company point fingers
Sherrill said the mistake happened before she took office, between June 2023 and June 2024, adding IDEMIA, the software vendor she has replaced is responsible. She said her new pick to lead the MVC was in the process of getting rid of the company before the error was unveiled.
IDEMIA, however, pushed back, saying, ultimately, it is the responsibility of the state Division of Elections to verify voter eligibility.
"So, I think it's well known that the Motor Vehicle Commission has been a mess and IDEMIA is at the heart of that," Sherrill responded.
Meanwhile, Republicans in New Jersey are demanding an independent investigation of the MVC and the Division of Elections.
White House again pushes Save America Act
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt did not reveal if New Jersey election officials could be prosecuted, but did say, "The president is hell-bent on getting to the bottom of this, and it's also why we need to pass the Save America Act to ensure that only U.S. citizens are voting in U.S. elections."
Political analyst Peter Woolley said while New Jersey has a reputation for having dead people on voter rolls, he believes the feds are going too far.
"I think it's unprecedented to have this kind of involvement [by the] federal Department of Justice in state-level elections, and states have pushed back to say that, constitutionally, states are responsible for their voters and voting rules and clean elections," Woolley said.
