House Republicans are investigating New Jersey's government following Governor Mikie Sherrill's admission that over 6,000 noncitizens were added to the state's voter rolls in 2023 and 2024. The GOP has criticized New Jersey Democrats since Sherrill's announcement that 6,600 noncitizens were mistakenly registered to vote during that period, which occurred before her tenure. Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil have requested information from New Jersey Lt. Governor Dale Caldwell regarding the state's adherence to federal election laws.
During a press conference on July 21, 2026, Governor Sherrill stated that approximately 6,600 noncitizens were registered due to a software error in the state's Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC). According to Sherrill, around 400 of these individuals voted in elections since 2023. The Republicans expressed concerns about the addition of noncitizens to the voter rolls and requested information from the New Jersey Department of State about compliance with federal voting laws.
The vendor responsible for the software, IDEMIA, disputed Sherrill's claims, stating that the New Jersey agencies were at fault. IDEMIA indicated that the registration of noncitizens ceased only after MVC requested changes to the software settings in June 2024, but the noncitizens were not removed from the voter rolls until the issue was disclosed.
The investigation seeks information related to New Jersey's compliance with the Help America Vote Act, the National Voter Registration Act, and the Civil Rights Act. The committees are also looking for documents regarding how New Jersey verifies voter eligibility and any evidence of non-cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security in verifying voter citizenship status. The letter requesting documents is signed by Representatives Jeff Van Drew and Laurel Lee, who chair relevant subcommittees. New Jersey's government has been asked to provide the requested documents by August 17.