TRENTON, N.J. — About 5,100 voter registrations have been removed from New Jersey’s voter rolls as the Sherrill administration continues to address a Motor Vehicle Commission system error that resulted in people being placed on the voter rolls in error, according to an update released Wednesday by the governor’s office.
Another approximately 1,450 registrations have been changed to rejected status, preventing those individuals from voting while county election officials conduct additional reviews, the administration said.
The issue was first brought to light July 21. Since then, the Statewide Voter Registration System was briefly taken offline so the Division of Elections could preserve a copy of the system and modify the status of people affected by the error.
“My Administration has continued to move aggressively to fix the error at the Motor Vehicle Commission under the previous administration, to correct our voter rolls, and to protect the voting rights of eligible New Jerseyans. I said we would conduct a thorough, complete, and fair investigation, and that is exactly what we are doing. Because that is what accountable government looks like. My commitment to the people of New Jersey is to confront this issue with the urgency it deserves, so we have strong and fair elections.
“That stands in contrast to the Trump Administration and Republicans, whose only interest has been in trying to use this issue for political gain.
“I am grateful to everyone who has been working around the clock on remediation efforts and reviewing our records with a fine-toothed comb, to preserve the integrity of our voter rolls, and ensure that our elections remain free and fair,” Gov. Mikie Sherrill said.
According to the administration, the approximately 5,100 people placed in deleted status were registered because of the system error and had no other voter registration or attestation of their eligibility in the system. They have been removed from the state’s voter rolls.
The approximately 1,450 people whose registrations were changed to rejected status were also affected by the error but had separate voter registrations, attestations or other transactions in the system that require further examination, according to the administration.
Those cases have been referred to county election officials. The individuals will not be able to vote unless their records are resolved and their eligibility is verified.
The administration also updated the number of people registered as a result of the error who cast ballots, saying approximately 340 voted.
Separately, the state identified about 220 people who were affected by the software error and voted but also had previous voter registrations or separate attestations of eligibility that could indicate their registrations were valid. Those cases are being referred to county officials for review to ensure eligible voters are not disenfranchised, according to the administration.
The governor’s office said all remaining changes and removals will take place at the county level. County officials have been directed to complete their reviews before voting begins to ensure ineligible individuals are removed while eligible voters retain their voting rights.
The state’s investigation into how the MVC system error occurred remains ongoing.
