Sherill rejects DOJ demands to turn over voter lists

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(The Center Square) — New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is refusing the U.S. Department of Justice’s demand to turn over a list of more than 6,600 non-citizens who were erroneously registered to vote in the state.  

In a letter to Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, Sherrill claimed the Department of Justice's demand for the records would violate federal state laws and said she won't comply with the request. 

"With no legal basis, you requested that I provide extensive personal information about thousands of New Jersey," Sherrill, a Democrat, wrote in the letter. "Providing this information in response to your request is limited by federal laws, including the Privacy Act, and the Driver's Privacy Protection Act. There are also further privacy restrictions under state law." 

Sherrill told Dhillon that New Jersey's Division of Elections is "working tirelessly in coordination with county election officials" to rectify this error, but is "committed to protecting New Jerseyans' personally identifying information." 

"The request had no legal basis, and I will always protect New Jerseyans' personally identifiable information," Sherrill said in a statement. 

Dhillon's office had requested the names, addresses and countries of origin of the individuals who were erroneously registered to vote. Federal prosecutors also want to know which elections the 400 non-citizens voted in and how they voted. 

The state's preliminary investigation, unveiled last week, found that between June 2023 and June 2024, about 6,600 non-citizens were erroneously registered to vote by the state Motor Vehicle Commission's software system when they were applying for state drivers' licenses or identification.

At least 400 of those non-citizens cast ballots in elections during those years, according to the Sherrill administration.

Sherrill blamed a "software glitch" by Idemia, a France-based technology company that operates the registration system, which occurred during the time of the then-Gov. Phil Murphy's administration.

The company has pushed back on the claims, saying it used specifications provided by the Murphy administration and that New Jersey's Division of Elections was responsible for verifying voter eligibility.

Like many states, New Jersey has a system that allows eligible voters to register to vote when they renew or obtain their driver's license or state identification. The state allows non-citizens with legal status in the country to obtain driver's licenses and state IDs. 

Sherrill announced Wednesday that the elections division has begun removing about 4,500 individuals who were erroneously registered, but another 2,100 will be referred to county election officials "for additional review to ensure that any lawfully registered voters are not being disenfranchised." 

But she has also lashed out at the Trump administration, accusing White House of trying to "weaponize" the voter registration scandal to push through voter restrictions ahead of the midterm elections.