New Jersey Orders Removal of 6,600 Voter Registrations Linked to MVC Software Error
New Jersey has ordered the removal of roughly 6,600 voter registrations linked to an MVC software error and is investigating how the failure operated from June 2023 through June 2024.
New Jersey has ordered the removal of roughly 6,600 voter registrations linked to a Motor Vehicle Commission software error that transmitted information for people who had indicated they were not U.S. citizens during MVC transactions.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced the action on July 21, 2026, saying the error occurred between June 2023 and June 2024, under the prior administration. A preliminary state analysis found that fewer than 400 people who were newly registered because of the error voted in an election. Officials said there is no evidence at this time that those votes affected the outcome of an election.
The state is reviewing the affected records, notifying residents, working with county registration officials and replacing the vendor that administered the MVC system. Sherrill also ordered an independent investigation into how the error occurred.
What the MVC error did
According to New Jersey’s MVC guidance, approximately 6,600 people were improperly sent into voter-registration processing after completing a transaction at the MVC. The state’s records show that those individuals answered “no” when asked on a keypad whether they were U.S. citizens.
The state says those individuals did not attest during the MVC transaction that they were eligible to vote. The software nevertheless transmitted their information for voter-registration processing.
New Jersey has described the registrations as erroneous. The documented finding is a software failure and improper registration, not evidence of intentional noncitizen voting or an organized effort to manipulate an election. The records also do not establish that every person in the affected group was a noncitizen at the time of any later vote.
The affected registrations were scattered across the state and included people registered as Democrats, Republicans and Unaffiliated voters. That distribution does not establish that the registrations affected any particular party or contest.
What officials are doing now
Sherrill ordered the removal of residents who were erroneously added to the voter rolls between June 2023 and June 2024 and directed her chief counsel to launch an independent investigation. The Division of Elections is working with county Commissioners of Registration as appropriate to identify and remove records created through the software error.
The MVC is notifying people whose records were affected. The notices will state that MVC records show the person answered “no” to the citizenship question during a relevant transaction. The state says the Division of Elections will also work to notify affected people about their registration status.
New Jersey has begun replacing IDEMIA, the vendor that administered the system. The MVC is working with a new vendor, and an agency administrator told Axios that a replacement system is expected to launch in 2027. The investigation and voter-record review remain ongoing.
What affected residents should know
New Jersey says a person must be a U.S. citizen, meet the state’s residency requirement and satisfy other legal qualifications to vote. A noncitizen is not eligible to vote.
Residents who receive a notice should check their voter-registration status and contact the Division of Elections or their county Commissioner of Registration if the record is incorrect. County officials can help determine whether a registration was created through the error, whether it has been removed and whether another correction is needed.
A U.S. citizen who was mistakenly registered through the MVC error may still register and vote if otherwise eligible. That person must complete a new voter-registration application and submit it to the appropriate county election office. The registration deadline is generally 21 days before Election Day.
Residents may also seek legal assistance. New Jersey’s guidance directs affected people to state-maintained legal resources, including information for people concerned about immigration or citizenship consequences.
The questions still open
The immediate response is clear: review the affected records, remove erroneous registrations, notify residents and replace the failed system. The independent investigation will need to establish how the vendor transmitted information after a person answered no to the citizenship question, what safeguards were supposed to prevent the error and when state officials learned about it.
Officials also will need to complete the review of voting records and explain whether additional controls are needed between the MVC and the Division of Elections. For now, the state’s preliminary analysis says fewer than 400 newly registered individuals voted in an election because of the error, and officials have reported no evidence that the episode changed an election result.
Sources
- New Jersey MVC System Error 2023 Questions & Answers
- Associated Press report on the New Jersey MVC error
- Axios report on New Jersey's voter-registration glitch
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