Republican National Committee officials have filed a federal lawsuit against New Jersey election authorities, seeking access to records after the state admitted thousands of noncitizens were registered to vote and hundreds cast ballots in recent elections.
Explainer New Jersey Voter Integrity Crisis: Noncitizen Registrations and System Failures Explained
The dispute has heightened partisan tensions over election security, with Republicans demanding transparency and Democrats defending their response to the registration errors.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, acknowledged in July that a software error at the Motor Vehicle Commission led to 6,600 noncitizens being registered to vote in 2023 and 2024. Sherrill said about 340 of those individuals voted. In August, her administration reported removing more than 5,000 ineligible registrants and referring another 1,450 registrations to county officials for review.
Lawsuit Over Voter Records
The Republican National Committee (RNC) sued Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell, who oversees elections as secretary of state, and five county election supervisors, alleging they withheld voter records that are public under the National Voter Registration Act. The RNC requested 13 categories of records in late July, but says state officials largely denied the requests and failed to provide most of the information sought.
RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said, "Now, election officials are hiding the records that would tell voters how it happened. The RNC wonβt stand for it. Garden State voters deserve the truth, and weβre taking these left-wing officials to court to demand answers."
The RNC previously filed a similar lawsuit in state court in early July, which remains pending. A spokesperson for Caldwell did not respond to requests for comment, while a representative for Sherrill criticized the latest lawsuit, stating the governor is working to clean up the voter rolls and protect elections.
Ongoing Registration Issues
Governor Sherrill recently updated the public on the investigation, revealing that another 750 registrations were incorrectly processed due to applicants selecting the wrong option on registration forms. The review found those individuals were eligible to vote, but the errors highlighted ongoing flaws in the system. An additional 340 improperly registered individuals were identified, including about 60 people serving sentences for indictable offenses.
Sherrill said in a press release, "My Administration continues to move aggressively to fix the serious system error at the Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) left behind by the previous administration to ensure our elections remain free, fair, and secure. I promised we would be thorough to ensure that no one who is ineligible remains on the voter rolls, and that every eligible voter has their voice heard."
Republican lawmakers remain skeptical of the administrationβs efforts. The New Jersey Assembly GOP stated on Facebook, "Every time they look, they find more. New Jerseyans deserve a full accounting of what happened to their voter rolls β not a press release that spins a growing problem as a victory."
National Focus on Noncitizen Voting
The controversy in New Jersey has become part of a broader national debate. According to a Rutgers-Eagleton poll, more than four in five New Jersey residents support requiring photo identification to vote in person and documentary proof of citizenship to register. Republican lawmakers have made noncitizen voting a central issue, introducing the SAVE America Act in Congress, which would require proof of citizenship to register and vote. Democrats in both chambers oppose the bill, while several states have placed noncitizen voting measures on upcoming ballots.
A Reuters review found that states have added more than 30,000 noncitizens to their registration databases since 2000, though Democrats argue that noncitizen voting remains rare and that the issue is being exaggerated for political purposes. The Department of Justice recently announced charges against 16 people, including an unauthorized immigrant, for alleged illegal voting and related crimes across the country, including a woman from New Jersey.
In North Carolina, the State Board of Elections said it will notify nearly 1,400 registered voters identified as potential noncitizens. Sam Hayes, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said, "Maintaining accurate voter rolls and ensuring that only U.S. citizens participate in our elections are fundamental duties of the State Board."
