Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon of the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday that federal authorities are investigating New Jersey after Governor Mikie Sherrill admitted nearly 7,000 noncitizens were registered to vote.
Dhillon stated: “Today, NJ Gov. Sherrill stated that 400 non-citizens voted in elections. This is unacceptable and illegal! The @CivilRights Division @TheJusticeDept is investigating this unlawful dilution of American votes.”
Sherrill explained that a “serious software error” in New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle System led to the registration of approximately 6,600 people who indicated they were not U.S. citizens between June 2023 and June 2024—nearly three years before Sherrill assumed office. The individuals answered “no” on a keypad when asked if they were U.S. citizens during driver’s license applications but were still registered due to the system error.
Sherrill confirmed that preliminary analysis shows fewer than 400 of these newly registered voters cast ballots in recent elections. She emphasized that while the error occurred under the prior administration led by Democrat Phil Murphy, her office has ordered an investigation and removal of illegally registered voters from state rolls. Sherrill condemned “reckless failures” and a lack of transparency during the previous term but stressed the improper voting did not occur on her watch.
Sherrill also noted that New Jersey has requested evidence from Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin regarding claims he made last week about 35,000 noncitizen voters, adding she heard “nothing back” in response to his letter. She reiterated her administration’s refusal to share personally identifying information with the federal government amid concerns the Trump administration “continues to weaponize it against people.”
