New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill ordered the removal of approximately 6,600 improperly registered non-citizens from voter rolls. A software error in the state's Motor Vehicle Commission system caused the registrations between June 2023 and June 2024.

Preliminary analysis by the state indicates that fewer than 400 of the improperly registered non-citizens cast ballots. The governor also launched an investigation into the system failure after learning of the error the previous week.

Non-citizens were registered after indicating they were not U.S. citizens on a keypad while applying for driver's licenses or identification cards. The improperly registered voters were affiliated with the Democratic, Republican, and Unaffiliated parties and were scattered across New Jersey.

The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission is replacing the vendor responsible for the software error, identified as Idemia. Commission Chief Administrator Rosalie Johnson is working to replace the vendor responsible for the system.

"I am appalled by the reckless failures that allowed this to happen," Sherrill said in a statement. She ordered her chief counsel to launch an investigation into the software error after discovering the issue.

"The difference is simple: when we find a problem, we don't hide it, deny it, or invent conspiracies," she said. "We investigate it, we fix it, and we tell the public."

She stated there is no evidence at this time that any elections were swayed by the improper votes. More than 4 million people voted in New Jersey in the 2024 presidential election, making the scale of the error relatively small in comparison.

The software error occurred during the administration of former Governor Phil Murphy and was corrected in 2024. She criticized the previous administration for not bringing the error to light when it happened.

"It's unacceptable that no one in the previous administration brought this to light, demanded accountability or took action when it happened years ago," she said. "It's unacceptable that the vendor released software with such a glaring error."

She said the individuals were registered through no fault of their own. She expressed concern that the immigration status of the affected individuals could be impacted by the mistake. "It would be hypocrisy for the state to charge the affected individuals when the error was the state's fault," she said.

She learned of the software error on Wednesday, two days before the Department of Homeland Security alleged 35,000 non-citizens were registered in the state. The state requested evidence from the Department of Homeland Security regarding its claim of 35,000 non-citizen registrations but received no reply. She said she does not intend to turn personally identifying information over to the federal government because the Trump administration continues to weaponize it.

"This failure didn't occur under my watch, but accountability starts now," she said. "I am taking action to prevent anything like it from occurring in the future and make sure those responsible are held accountable." The investigation will determine which elections were affected and the findings will be publicly released.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin wrote on social media regarding the state's response. "Appreciate you responding back to our letter. This should've been done a LONG time ago," Mullin wrote. "Just ONE illegal vote cancels out the vote of a U.S. citizen." Mullin also stated he was looking forward to working with the state to secure elections in the future.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement that the incident reflects the need for stricter voting laws. As President Trump has said, there is nothing more important than the integrity of our elections. And this latest incident shows the absolute necessity of the SAVE America Act, Jackson said.

"Democrats and their media allies have repeatedly said it is impossible for noncitizens to register to vote, let alone cast a ballot," she said. "Time and again, they have been proven wrong." She added that American voters deserve to have confidence that elections are safe and secure. Sherrill ordered the removal of all residents erroneously added to New Jersey voter rolls between June 2023 and June 2024.