TRENTON — State Senator Joe Pennacchio, a Republican representing the twenty-sixth legislative district, which includes Parsippany-Troy Hills, issued a statement following news that Congress is opening an investigation into how 6,600 noncitizens were added to New Jersey’s voter rolls.
“I welcome Congress’ investigation into New Jersey’s voter rolls. This is exactly why I called on the Department of Justice and United States Attorney to launch their own investigation,” Pennacchio said in a statement. “The Governor wants everyone to simply believe this was just a software glitch involving 6,600 registrations, but there are serious questions that go well beyond that, like how that number pales in comparison to the 35,000 non-citizens on New Jersey voter rolls suggested by the Department of Justice. The people of New Jersey deserve the full truth, and I hope this investigation finally gets us closer to the answers the Murphy and Sherrill administrations are refusing to provide.”
Governor Mikie Sherrill announced last month that about 6,600 noncitizens were added to New Jersey’s voter rolls between June 2023 and June 2024, which she attributed to a software error at the state Motor Vehicle Commission. Sherrill said the affected individuals had answered that they were not United States citizens when applying for a driver’s license or identification card, but were registered to vote anyway, and that roughly 400 of them cast ballots in past elections. The 35,000 figure Pennacchio cited has been attributed to the Department of Justice but has not been independently confirmed by state election officials.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil sent a letter to New Jersey Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State Dale Caldwell requesting documents and communications related to the registrations, with a response requested by August 17.
Pennacchio’s statement also cited a New Jersey Globe report that about 75,000 noncitizens are summoned for jury duty in New Jersey each year.
On July 22, Pennacchio sent a letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche requesting that the Department of Justice launch its own investigation of the Motor Vehicle Commission’s automatic voter registration system. On July 27, he called on Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon to expand the federal investigation into the registration and voting of noncitizens in New Jersey.
