TRENTON — Governor Mikie Sherrill on Tuesday provided an update on the state’s response to a software error at the Motor Vehicle Commission that improperly registered approximately 6,600 individuals to vote between June 2023 and June 2024, during the previous administration.
Sherrill said her administration has moved on multiple fronts over the past week, including notifying those affected directly and beginning the process of correcting the voter rolls. The Motor Vehicle Commission has mailed letters to the impacted individuals, and the state has launched a website, nj.gov/MVCsystemerror2023, with answers to frequently asked questions, information about the registration review process, and support resources.
The Division of Elections has begun removing more than 4,500 individuals who were registered solely as a result of the software error, Sherrill said. The remaining registrations will be referred to county election officials for further review to ensure no lawfully registered voters are disenfranchised.
Sherrill said the extra review is necessary because initial findings indicate some of the individuals may be citizens, a pattern she said has occurred in other states following similar clerical and administrative errors.
“Just as we have an obligation to remove everyone who is not eligible to vote, we also have a responsibility to protect the voting rights of eligible New Jersey citizens and ensure no one is improperly removed from the rolls,” Sherrill said.
Sherrill said her administration has been transparent about the issue since it was discovered, and drew a contrast with the response from former President Donald Trump and other Republicans, whom she accused of trying to use the issue to target the affected individuals and advance voter suppression efforts.
“New Jerseyans should have confidence that every eligible citizen can vote, every lawful vote will be counted, and their government will act quickly and transparently when problems arise,” Sherrill said, adding that her administration will continue providing public updates as the investigation moves forward.
