New Jersey Noncitizen Voter Error Triggers DOJ Civil-Rights Probe
On Tuesday, July 21, 2026, New Jersey officials said a software error wrongly registered about 6,600 self-identified noncitizens to vote.[1]
Gov. Mikie Sherrill said a preliminary review found roughly 400 of those erroneously registered individuals actually cast ballots, and that the affected registrations were spread across Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters.[2] Sherrill ordered officials to remove the 2023-24 erroneous registrations, launched a state investigation led by her chief counsel, and began replacing the Motor Vehicle Commission's vendor that ran the malfunctioning system.[2] The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division has opened its own probe and sent a letter demanding identifying and voting information for the affected individuals and preservation of related records.[3] New Jersey officials have begun removing the roughly 6,600 names from the rolls and say they are coordinating with federal investigators.[4]
Between June 2023 and June 2024, the erroneous registrations were created in transactions tied to the Motor Vehicle Commission's system, a period Sherrill said fell under the prior administration.[3] State officials say they discovered the problem last week and moved quickly to remove records and replace the vendor.[3]
Coverage has shifted from a narrow technical story about a software glitch to one framed against national claims of widespread noncitizen registration.[2] Critics note those larger estimates rely on commercial databases and can produce many false positives, a point that legal experts warn could lead states to unlawfully purge voter rolls.[2]
The episode has prompted legal and political questions about how states cross-check driver licensing and voter-registration systems, how quickly erroneous registrations are corrected, and what evidence should trigger federal enforcement.
Show source details & analysis (5 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- On Tuesday, July 21, 2026, Gov. Mikie Sherrill said about 6,600 people who indicated they were noncitizens were improperly registered to vote between June 2023 and June 2024 due to what she called a serious software failure in the Motor Vehicle Commission system (Gov. Mikie Sherrill).
- Sherrill said a preliminary review found that roughly 400 of those erroneously registered individuals actually cast ballots, and that the affected registrations were spread across Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters (roughly 400).
- Sherrill ordered officials to remove the 2023-24 erroneous registrations, launched a state investigation led by her chief counsel, and began replacing the Motor Vehicle Commission’s vendor that administered the malfunctioning system (remove the 2023-24 erroneous registrations).
- CBS reported on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, that the underlying problem was a software glitch that converted noncitizen transactions into voter registrations and that the state has opened a probe into that malfunction (Motor Vehicle Commission system).
- Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced on July 21 that the DOJ Civil Rights Division is investigating the incident as an unlawful dilution of American votes and sent a letter demanding identifying and voting information for the affected noncitizens within five business days and preservation of all related records (Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon).
- New Jersey officials have begun removing the roughly 6,600 erroneously registered noncitizens from the voter rolls, are coordinating with federal investigators, and are moving to replace the MVC vendor responsible for the glitch (roughly 6,600).
- CBS placed the New Jersey development alongside President Trump’s and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s claim that more than 250,000 noncitizens are registered across four states, and election-law expert David Becker warned that the White House methodology — which relies on commercial databases — is likely to produce many false positives and could lead states to break the law if used to purge rolls (David Becker).
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- On Wednesday, July 22, 2026, CBS reported that Gov. Mikie Sherrill has announced a state investigation into the Motor Vehicle Commission software error that accidentally registered about 6,600 self-identified noncitizens to vote.
- The CBS segment reiterates that the problem stemmed from an election software or Motor Vehicle Commission system glitch that converted noncitizen transactions into voter registrations.
- CBS framed the development as an ongoing state-level probe, with its election law contributor offering legal context on how such erroneous registrations could be handled under existing election procedures.
- On Tuesday, July 21, 2026, Gov. Mikie Sherrill said the 6,600 erroneous noncitizen registrations occurred between June 2023 and June 2024 under the previous administration due to what she called a serious software failure in the Motor Vehicle Commission system.
- Sherrill stated that a preliminary review found roughly 400 of those erroneously registered individuals cast ballots and that they were registered across Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters.
- She said she learned of the issue the prior week and immediately ordered an investigation led by her chief counsel, directed officials to remove all erroneously added voters from the rolls, and began replacing the vendor that administered the MVC system.
- Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced on July 21 that the DOJ Civil Rights Division is investigating the incident as an unlawful dilution of American votes and sent a letter to Sherrill demanding identifying and voting information for the affected noncitizens within five business days and ordering preservation of all related records.
- Sherrill publicly criticized the prior administration for what she called reckless failures and lack of transparency, while positioning her response as focused on investigation, remediation and safeguards to prevent future errors.
- Axios reports on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, that New Jersey officials have begun the process of removing the roughly 6,600 erroneously registered noncitizens from the voter rolls after identifying the Motor Vehicle Commission software glitch.
- The article emphasizes that the removals focus on registrations created between June 2023 and June 2024 that were tied to the malfunctioning MVC system, aligning with the period previously described by Gov. Mikie Sherrill.
- Axios reiterates that the state is moving to replace the Motor Vehicle Commission’s vendor system responsible for the glitch while coordinating with federal investigators reviewing the incident.
- On Tuesday, July 21, 2026, Gov. Mikie Sherrill reiterated that about 6,600 people who indicated they were noncitizens while obtaining New Jersey driver's licenses or other IDs were improperly registered to vote in 2023-2024.
- Sherrill again said a preliminary analysis shows that fewer than 400 of those erroneously registered individuals actually cast ballots.
- The CBS report situates the New Jersey error explicitly against President Trump's and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin's claim that more than 250,000 noncitizens are registered across four states, and notes that the administration’s estimate is based on commercial databases.
- Election-law expert David Becker, of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, is quoted warning that the White House methodology is likely to produce many false positives and could lead to states breaking the law if they use it to purge rolls.
- The article restates that Sherrill is removing 2023-24 erroneous registrations, replacing the Motor Vehicle Commission system vendor, and launching an investigation into how the software error occurred.