New Jersey Assembly Republican leaders propose bipartisan election investigation committee

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Assembly Republican leaders have introduced a resolution that would establish a bipartisan committee with subpoena power to investigate a voter registration software error that affected about 6,600 people.

Assembly Republican Leader John DiMaio, R-Warren, and Assemblyman Christopher DePhillips, R-Bergen, introduced AR156 on Thursday. The resolution calls for a 12-member Assembly committee, with six members appointed by the Assembly speaker and six by the Assembly minority leader.

“This resolution is about accountability and restoring confidence in New Jersey elections. As a representative republic, the Legislature has an obligation to the citizens of this state to find out how noncitizens were registered to vote, allowed to cast ballots, and what is being done to ensure it can never happen again. And we need to do it in a public forum,” DiMaio (R-Warren) said.

The proposal follows the discovery of a software error in the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission system that improperly transmitted about 6,600 people for voter registration between June 2023 and June 2024 after they indicated they were not U.S. citizens. The Sherrill administration has said the registrations occurred because of the software error and through no fault of the affected individuals.

“The Legislature should not simply accept an explanation or a behind-closed-doors investigation and then move on,” DePhillips (R-Bergen) said.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill ordered an investigation after learning about the error and directed officials to correct the voter rolls. In an Aug. 19 update, the administration said approximately 5,100 registrations had been placed in deleted status and about 1,450 had been placed in rejected status pending additional review. The state said approximately 340 people who were newly registered as a result of the software error had voted.

The administration also said about 220 additional people affected by the error who voted had previous registrations or separate attestations of eligibility that indicated they may have been validly registered. Those cases were referred to county officials for review. The state’s investigation remains ongoing.

“Elected officials from both parties need to oversee public hearings that will uncover the truth, and more importantly, a path forward. Lawmakers must determine what reforms are necessary and what appropriate remedial legislation is needed to protect our right to free and fair elections. We are introducing a resolution to bring both parties together on this issue,” DePhillips added.

Under AR156, the Assembly speaker and minority leader would each appoint six members and name a co-chair. According to the Republican sponsors, the committee would be authorized to issue subpoenas, compel testimony and obtain documents, electronic records and other evidence.

“The executive branch and many Trenton Democrats failed to heed Republicans’ warnings or respond to our questions about the integrity of the automatic voter registration system rollout. Even if they won’t concede that our concerns were realized and validated, New Jersey residents still deserve answers,” said DiMaio. “We are pressuring our legislative colleagues across the aisle to join us in addressing this serious voter registration error, because protecting the integrity of elections should not be a partisan issue — it is an American one.”