New Jersey voter registration scandal goes beyond just one software glitch, Republicans claim

⚠️ Republicans say records show noncitizens were registered to vote before the state's reported software glitch.

➡️ The documents include voter registration removals dating back to at least 2019, according to the GOP.

🔴 Gov. Mikie Sherrill says an independent investigation is underway to determine what happened.

The scope of New Jersey's voter registration scandal could go well beyond a few thousand noncitizens, according to state Republicans.

Outrage and demands for accountability have spread across the country after Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced 6,600 noncitizens were registered to vote in New Jersey. On Tuesday, the Democratic governor said there was a serious software error when applying for identification through the Motor Vehicle Commission.

Sherrill also said the glitch was isolated to between June 2023 and June 2024. However, New Jersey Republicans say records they obtained show noncitizens were registered before June 2023.

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Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon stands next to an electronic voting machine on Oct. 12, 2021. (Monmouth County Clerk's Office)

Republicans say records point to earlier noncitizen voter registrations

"The governor blamed a software glitch during a limited one-year period that allowed for this egregious violation. This statement was ill-advised and likely erroneous," said Christine Hanlon, who serves as chairwoman of the Republican State Committee.

According to Hanlon, the GOP Election Integrity Task Force has found hundreds of noncitizens on the voter rolls before June 2023. Hanlon said the records include registrations dating to at least 2019, including examples from 2020, 2022 and April 2023.

Because the state does not publicly identify voters by citizenship status, the Republican task force could obtain only documents voluntarily submitted by noncitizens that are public records. The forms were submitted by noncitizens asking to be removed from the voter rolls after discovering they had been registered.

Hanlon said the records raise new questions about how many noncitizens may still be on the voter rolls because only those who later requested removal appear in the documents.

These records are also not representative of the whole state. They were obtained through open records requests submitted to each of New Jersey's 21 counties. Only about half responded, Hanlon said.

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Gov. Mikie Sherrill at a press conference in Newark on July 23, 2026. (New Jersey Office of the Governor via YouTube)

Sherrill says independent investigation will determine the full scope

Responding to a request for comment about the voter registration records, the governor's office said nothing "MAGA Republicans" are arguing has anything to do with making elections more secure.

"This software error occurred under the previous administration – nearly three years before Governor Sherrill took office – and she immediately launched an independent investigation and took action to remove ineligible voters from the rolls," spokesperson Darwin Pham said.

Gov. Sherrill again said that the software error was "unacceptable" at an unrelated press conference in Newark on Thursday.

"We have an independent investigation going on. So they are canvassing everyone, and they'll get to the bottom of it," Sherrill said.

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