TRENTON, N.J. – State Sen. Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) is calling for New Jersey to immediately suspend voter registration services at Motor Vehicle Commission offices and expand the state’s investigation into voter registration records spanning the past decade following revelations that thousands of non-citizens were mistakenly added to the voter rolls.
The Monmouth County Republican’s demand comes after Gov. Mikie Sherrill disclosed that approximately 6,600 people who indicated they were not U.S. citizens while applying for driver’s licenses or identification cards between June 2023 and June 2024 were nevertheless registered to vote due to an alleged software error. State officials confirmed around 400 of those individuals ultimately cast ballots.
In a statement Tuesday, O’Scanlon argued the administration’s investigation should not stop with the two-year period already identified.
“If we know that more than 6,000 non-citizens were improperly registered to vote over two years, why would we stop the investigation there?” O’Scanlon said. “This system has been in place for years. We should be reviewing every registration processed through the MVC over the last decade.”
The senator said voter registration activities at MVC facilities should remain suspended until the state completes a comprehensive review and determines the full scope of the problem.
O’Scanlon also questioned whether the software failure could have affected applicants who mistakenly or intentionally identified themselves as citizens, arguing that the known cases involve only individuals who correctly indicated they were not eligible to register.
Beyond election integrity concerns, O’Scanlon said the error may have exposed non-citizens to potential legal consequences by sending them official election materials that suggested they were eligible to vote.
“Essentially the government was telling them they were eligible,” he said, calling the ramifications “mind-boggling.”
The Republican renewed his support for voter identification requirements, arguing they would provide an additional safeguard to ensure only eligible voters cast ballots.
The governor claimed the software error originated under the previous administration.
