TRENTON, N.J. — Three Monmouth County Republican lawmakers are asking the U.S. Department of Justice to launch an independent investigation into New Jersey’s troubled voter registration system, escalating the controversy beyond the congressional investigation already underway.
The distinction is significant: Congress is using its oversight authority to demand records and explanations from the Sherrill administration. The lawmakers now want federal law enforcement to examine the underlying registration system, conduct an independent audit, and determine whether violations of federal election law warrant civil or criminal action.
Senator Declan O’Scanlon and Assembly members Vicky Flynn and Gerry Scharfenberger made the request Tuesday in a five-page letter to U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and New Jersey U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer.
Their request follows another reported case of a noncitizen discovering she was registered to vote, raising fresh questions about whether New Jersey’s problems extend beyond the approximately 6,600 improper registrations attributed to an MVC software error between June 2023 and June 2024.
According to an October 23rd New York Sun report, 19-year-old Monmouth County resident Ilaria Giugliano, a lawful permanent resident, discovered she was listed as an active registered voter despite never requesting registration.
Giugliano reportedly obtained her driver’s license at the Freehold MVC office in September 2024, when she was 17, and specifically avoided identifying herself as a U.S. citizen. Nevertheless, her voter registration reportedly became effective on her 18th birthday in September 2025.
That date is significant: it falls more than a year after the period covered by the state’s original software error explanation.
The lawmakers separately demanded an investigation from Acting Secretary of State Shirley Emehelu on October 26.
The case follows an August report from Assemblyman Robert Auth that Republican canvassers encountered a Bergen County green card holder who was surprised to learn she was registered to vote. Her registration reportedly dated to June 2026.
Congress wants answers. Now lawmakers want DOJ action.
The new request comes less than a week after the House Judiciary and House Administration committees subpoenaed Emehelu over the Sherrill administration’s response to congressional inquiries.
According to the lawmakers’ letter, congressional investigators received just 12 documents in response to requests initiated in August. Those records reportedly failed to explain adequately how the MVC error was discovered or why improperly registered individuals remained on the rolls until 2026.
Congressman Jeff Van Drew has been among the leading voices demanding answers. The lawmakers also criticized the Secretary of State’s Office for failing to send a representative to a congressional hearing he convened on the controversy.
The 13th District delegation says the warning signs date back years.
In 2022, a constituent reportedly contacted their offices after being registered to vote following an application for a noncitizen driver’s license. Flynn subsequently introduced legislation requiring an audit of MVC-originated registrations, but Democratic legislative leaders never advanced the measure.
Another question: 75,000 noncitizen jury summonses.
The lawmakers also want federal investigators to examine whether New Jersey’s jury-service records could help identify inaccurate voter registrations.
According to the state Judiciary, approximately 75,000 individuals annually receive jury summonses but are subsequently disqualified after disclosing that they are not U.S. citizens.
While a jury summons does not establish voter registration or wrongdoing, the Republicans want investigators to determine whether those records can lawfully be cross-checked against voter rolls.
An independent federal audit
The letter asks DOJ to examine voter roll maintenance, citizenship verification, MVC procedures, third-party vendors, compliance with federal election laws, and whether the state’s corrective measures have actually worked.
It also requests an assessment of whether any failures warrant civil enforcement, criminal investigation, or administrative action.
The lawmakers stressed that erroneous registration does not necessarily constitute illegal voting. They also requested federal assistance to protect lawful permanent residents who may have been registered through government error from unfair immigration consequences.
Whether DOJ will act remains unclear.
But with Election Day approaching, the Sherrill administration is facing another demand for answers about a voter registration problem that lawmakers contend may be considerably broader than the state has acknowledged.
