The administration of Democratic New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill announced on Wednesday that 220 noncitizens have been found with voting records in the state.
These individuals are part of a larger group of 5,100 people who were recently taken off voter rolls following the discovery of a reported computer error at the Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) that allowed unauthorized registrations, according to The New Jersey Globe.
A spokesperson for the software company used by the MVC claimed that the glitch — which led to 6,600 noncitizens being wrongly registered — stemmed from “state-set design specifications” that permitted people to indicate “no” on both citizenship and voter registration.
Interestingly, state officials revealed that approximately 340 of these noncitizens had actually cast ballots in at least one election. Many of them appeared to have a voting history, as noted by reports from NJ.com.
Furthermore, county election officials are reviewing the registrations of around 1,450 people. These registrations are currently marked as “rejected” in the state’s system but haven’t been completely removed yet. Officials say this action prevents these individuals from voting in future elections until the investigation concludes, as reported by the Globe.
Governor Sherrill stated that the administration is “continuing to act aggressively to right wrongs” and safeguard the voting rights of citizens. “We’re conducting a thorough, complete and fair investigation, which is what accountable government looks like,” she remarked, also pointing fingers at Republicans. “This stands in stark contrast to the Trump administration, which appeared more concerned with leveraging the issue for political advantage.”
Four green card holders have already faced charges for voting in a federal election in New Jersey back in May.
Earlier reports indicated that a 62-year-old non-citizen from Slovakia was similarly charged for illegal voting and for making false statements while applying for U.S. citizenship.
Reporter Michael Casey connected the dots, mentioning, “There was an election in Jersey where the Democrats won by one vote. What more proof do we need that the SAVE America Act is critically important?”
As of now, Governor Mikie Sherrill’s office has not provided any comments in response to inquiries from media outlets.
