New Jersey faces scrutiny after 6,600 noncitizens were reportedly placed on voter rolls, with about 400 casting ballots. Mikie Sherrill attributed the issue to a serious software error in the state's Motor Vehicle System, which occurred from June 2023 to June 2024 under former Governor Phil Murphy. The state found no evidence that any election was affected.

IDEMIA, the French identity technology company blamed by Sherrill, pushed back on these claims. Spokesperson Lisa Shoemaker told the New York Post that all 6,600 individuals answered “Yes” to registering and “No” to citizenship, which should have made them ineligible. She disputed the governor’s claim of a “glitch,” stating, “The 6,600 records submitted to the [Motor Vehicle Commission] and Division of Elections contained correct information according to the design specifications as set out by the state,” and that responses were “recorded correctly and always available.” Shoemaker added that “at no point was a noncitizen ever marked as a citizen in the database” and emphasized that IDEMIA “does not control or manage voter enrollment,” suggesting responsibility lies elsewhere.

A New Jersey official contradicted IDEMIA’s position, stating, “Anytime somebody answers ‘no’ to the citizenship question, that record should not be transmitted to the Division of Elections.”

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon has demanded the state provide the names, birth dates, nationalities, and addresses of the 6,600 registrants, along with voting records for the 400 who voted, within five business days. Meanwhile, Congressman Josh Gottheimer has requested a government-wide audit of all federal contracts involving IDEMIA, citing national concerns raised by the incident.

The controversy highlights ongoing challenges in voter registration systems and the division of responsibilities between private contractors and state election authorities.

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