Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NJ Gov. Sherrill: Election is secure, noncitizens taken off voter rolls
By
Michael Sol Warren
Published Oct 27, 2026 at 7:42 p.m. ET
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Louis C. Hochman / Gothamist
By
Michael Sol Warren
Published Oct 27, 2026 at 7:42 p.m. ET
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
New Jersey’s voting system is secure and ready for this year’s election, according to Gov. Mikie Sherrill.
The governor said her administration had taken a “deep dive into our system” after learning that a software issue wrongly registered up to 6,600 noncitizens to vote in 2023 and 2024 when they were seeking state driver’s licenses or identification at the Motor Vehicle Commission, even though they told an automated MVC system they were ineligible.
The error, which occurred during former Gov. Phil Murphy’s term, has provided an unwelcome opening for Republicans to make accusations of voter fraud in a solidly blue state.
“We cleared off everyone who registered solely due to that system problem,” she said Tuesday night on the “Ask Governor Sherrill” call-in show. The program is produced by WNYC in partnership with WHYY and WBGO.
Sherrill’s comments come a week before Election Day, as voters in New Jersey and around the nation are set to decide critical midterm elections. The governor made national headlines with her victory last year and said she’s feeling good about Democrats’ prospects going into Election Day. She’s been active on the campaign trail in New Jersey’s 2nd and 7th Congressional Districts where Democrats are increasingly hopeful of flipping from red to blue.
“I will be disappointed if we don’t see significant gains because I think what the Trump administration is doing to working people in this country is criminal,” Sherrill said.
The voter registration problem happened from June 2023 to June 2024 under the Murphy administration, and Sherrill has said that the issue was fixed in 2024. A spokesperson for Murphy previously denied that the former governor knew about the issue, and vendor IDEMIA has said the fault rested with New Jersey state agencies for not verifying whether people were eligible to vote before putting them on the rolls. Sherrill said Tuesday the state would be working with a new vendor.
Sherrill has said that about 340 of those people actually voted in previous elections.
An investigation remains ongoing; earlier this month Sherrill announced another 1,100 problematic registrations had been found. Sherrill on Tuesday pledged to update the public as new findings are uncovered.
“The public needs to know that we are running an accountable government. We are not sweeping things under the rug or hiding things,” Sherrill said. “I refuse to run an administration like that.”
More than 5,000 noncitizens have been removed from New Jersey’s voter rolls in response to the scandal, and the governor’s office has said the remainder are being investigated by local election authorities.
Republicans have seized on the scandal to push voter fraud concerns and question the integrity of New Jersey Elections. Republican state lawmakers have called for audits, new voter ID requirements and a rollback of the automatic voter registration program at the state Motor Vehicle Commission. Congressional Republicans led by Rep. Jeff Van Drew of South Jersey subpoenaed the Sherrill administration for documents related to the voter registration scandal last week as well.
The voter registration scandal dovetailed with the dramatic resignation of former Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell, who Sherrill effectively forced out last month after an internal investigation determined he had sexually harassed female members of his staff and violated ethics rules.
Caldwell had also been serving as New Jersey’s Secretary of State, which made him the Garden State’s top election official.
Sherrill has not yet picked a replacement for Caldwell as lieutenant governor, but she did install Shirley Emehelu as acting Secretary of State.
Emehelu had been serving as the acting state comptroller prior.
Voting is already underway in the Garden State, with vote-by-mail ballots sent out last month and in-person early voting starting last weekend.
Tagged
Politics
new jersey
Michael Sol Warren
Michael Sol Warren covers New Jersey for WNYC and Gothamist, and previously reported on issues around the Garden State for NJ Spotlight News and NJ Advance Media. He can be reached at [email protected].
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Ex-NYPD officer again faces murder charge in George Washington Bridge shooting
The charge against him was upgraded following an “extensive investigation,” the DA’s office said.
By
Samantha Max
Published Oct 27, 2026 at 4:35 p.m. ET
Modified Oct 27, 2026 at 6:17 p.m. ET
Former NYC buildings boss helped reopen mayor's favored restaurant despite health violations
Phone calls played at during the trial of Eric Adams’ former buildings commissioner show he worried about losing his job for helping business owners fast track inspections.
By
David Brand
News
Former NYC buildings boss helped reopen mayor's favored restaurant despite health violations
Phone calls played at during the trial of Eric Adams’ former buildings commissioner show he worried about losing his job for helping business owners fast track inspections.
By
David Brand
1 killed, 4 others injured at Elizabeth, NJ vigil shooting
By
Catalina Gonella
Police arrest man in Queens stabbings that ended with officer shooting woman
By
Ryan Kost
Early Addition: It's been a while since it rained
By
James Ramsay
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .