A software-related issue resulted in as many as 6,600 non-U.S. citizens being flagged for voter registration in New Jersey during 2023 and 2024, according to state officials. Fewer than 400 of these individuals reportedly cast ballots, prompting Governor Mikie Sherrill to order their removal from voter rolls and to initiate an investigation. The incident was publicly disclosed on July 21, after Sherrill became aware of the problem earlier that month.
The error is linked to IDEMIA, a private contractor responsible for managing New Jersey’s driver’s licenses and identification cards for more than four decades. Sherrill criticized the firm, describing the release of the flawed software as “unacceptable.” However, a spokesperson for IDEMIA disputed the claim that a software glitch caused the issue, stating that no malfunction occurred. Instead, IDEMIA explained that the state’s specifications and system design ultimately allowed noncitizen records to be retained in the Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) database and incorrectly forwarded to election officials.
According to IDEMIA, the software followed New Jersey’s instructions, which presented voter registration questions in a specific order: first, whether an individual wished to register; second, their citizenship status; and third, if applicable, party affiliation. Individuals who indicated they were not U.S. citizens were not prompted to select a political party but were still retained in the MVC system because of the way responses were recorded. The data collected remained on MVC servers, with IDEMIA asserting that it did not transmit citizenship data to the Division of Elections, which is responsible for validating voter eligibility.
The discrepancy emerged when the New Jersey Division of Elections questioned why some records lacked party affiliation, a situation stemming from the system’s design. The MVC subsequently requested a software adjustment to automatically decline voter registration for those who answered “no” to the citizenship question, which IDEMIA implemented with changes taking effect in September 2024.
The revelation comes amid a broader national debate over noncitizen voting and election integrity. Republican lawmakers, including Representative Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, have cited the incident as evidence of vulnerabilities in voter registration systems, calling for federal reforms such as the SAVE Act to address election security concerns. Democrats have countered these assertions, denying intentional wrongdoing and maintaining that there is no proof noncitizen votes influenced election outcomes.
Sherrill noted that those who improperly cast ballots represented various political affiliations, including Democrats, Republicans, and unaffiliated voters, and said there was currently no evidence that the election results were affected. The governor’s office has refrained from further comment as the investigation continues, focusing in part on the prior administration’s handling of the issue.
IDEMIA also highlighted that New Jersey is among 36 states for which it provides driver’s license services. The company was not removed from the contract due to the software design issue, according to its spokeswoman, but lost a subsequent bidding process to Thales, a competing vendor. IDEMIA said that changes requested by the state were treated as routine system updates without formal escalation.
A state official familiar with the investigation confirmed that the MVC was responsible for transmitting records to the Division of Elections and indicated the software error stemmed from records of noncitizens being forwarded despite their ineligibility.
The Department of Justice announced its own investigation into the matter shortly after the incident came to light. This followed reports from the Trump administration alleging hundreds of thousands of potential noncitizen voter registrations across several states, including California, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey—claims that those states have denied.
New Jersey officials and IDEMIA agree that the ultimate responsibility for verifying voter eligibility lies with the Division of Elections, which must validate and adjudicate all submitted information. Several other states have stated that they employ additional verification processes to prevent similar issues from occurring when voter registration data is transmitted from motor vehicle agencies to election authorities.