New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill ordered daily audits of voter registrations processed through the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) on October 7, 2026, after an administrative review uncovered approximately 1,090 additional improperly processed registrations.
The findings have raised fresh questions about safeguards in the state’s voter registration system, following an earlier software error that registered thousands of people who had indicated that they were not US citizens.
The latest review identified multiple failures involving applicants who indicated that they were ineligible to register, as well as registrations processed during events for people leaving prison. The administration has ordered corrective measures, including daily verification of registration records, manual reviews of discrepancies and additional checks at re-entry events.
The development comes less than a month before Election Day, intensifying political scrutiny of New Jersey’s election administration and the transparency of its investigation into registration errors.
Software error and improper registrations expose systemic gaps
The latest findings follow Sherrill’s July 2026 disclosure that a software error had resulted in approximately 6,600 people being registered to vote despite indicating that they were not US citizens when applying for driving licences or state identification cards. The registrations occurred between June 2023 and June 2024. According to the governor, fewer than 400 of those individuals subsequently voted. Sherrill said the two newly identified problems did not involve non-citizens.
Approximately 750 of the additional records originated from the same system error involving IDEMIA, the agency’s technology vendor. According to the governor’s office, the affected applicants had answered no when asked whether they were old enough to vote, yet their registrations were processed.
The administration said the applicants’ dates of birth indicated that they had reached the eligible voting age and that many appeared to have pressed the wrong keypad button. Nevertheless, because they had answered no to the eligibility question, their registrations were not legally valid.
Among these records, approximately 380 individuals had no other voter registration and had not voted. Their registrations are being deleted. Another 320 individuals had voted but possessed other potentially valid registrations, and their cases have been referred to county election officials for examination.
Approximately 50 people were registered solely because of the system error and subsequently voted. Their registrations are being deleted, and their cases have also been referred to county authorities.
The review identified another 340 records associated with voter registration events held at the agency for people leaving prison, dating back to 2016. The administration said some individuals had incorrectly indicated that they were eligible to vote while still serving sentences for indictable offences, New Jersey’s equivalent of felonies. County election officials will examine these records individually.
Separately, approximately 60 people were found to be currently incarcerated. Their names have been forwarded to county authorities for routine removal from voter rolls.
Daily audits, republican demands and election security concerns
Under the new procedures, the MVC will compare voter registration records daily against applicants’ actual responses concerning citizenship, age and whether they chose to register. Agency staff will manually examine discrepancies before forwarding the records to election officials.
The administration is also introducing an additional keypad question at re-entry events requiring applicants to confirm that they are not currently incarcerated for an indictable offence. Registration questions will be made available in five languages.
Sherrill said her administration had committed to a thorough review to ensure that no ineligible person remained on the voter rolls while every eligible voter could exercise their rights. She stated that the review had been completed within two and a half months and that sweeping corrective action was being taken.
The governor also criticised President Donald Trump, arguing that he had complained about the registration issue for a decade without resolving it.
However, Republican lawmakers have questioned the administration’s transparency and the evidence supporting its conclusions. State Senate Republican Leader Anthony Bucco said the latest updates were creating more questions than answers. He argued that the public had still not received the report concerning the original 6,600 registrations and deserved access to the analysis underpinning the administration’s findings, particularly with Election Day less than a month away.
Every Senate Republican has endorsed a resolution proposing a special Senate committee to investigate the matter.
Bucco and State Senator Kristin Corrado have also introduced legislation seeking to end automatic voter registration at the MVC, require voter identification and establish independent audits of voter rolls twice a year.
The latest findings have placed New Jersey’s voter registration procedures under renewed scrutiny, with daily audits and proposed legislative changes emerging as central issues in the debate over election safeguards ahead of the midterm elections.
