The technology company that New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill blamed for the erroneous registration of more than 6,600 noncitizens to the state’s voter rolls is rejecting her account, saying the state’s own systems correctly received data showing the applicants were not American citizens.
IDEMIA, the French identity technology firm that provides services for New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle Commission, disputed Sherrill’s assertion that a software “glitch” caused the registrations, arguing the information transmitted to the state accurately reflected the applicants’ responses.
Vendor Says State Had Correct Data
In a statement to the New York Post, IDEMIA spokeswoman Lisa Shoemaker confirmed that all 6,600 individuals answered “Yes” when asked if they wanted to register to vote but “No” when asked whether they were citizens of the United States.
According to Shoemaker, those responses were properly recorded and transmitted to the state.
Shoemaker also emphasized that “at no point was a noncitizen ever marked as a citizen in the database” and said IDEMIA “does not control or manage voter enrollment,” suggesting responsibility for the registrations rests with the state’s election process rather than the software vendor.
State Maintains Software Failure Caused Error
Sherrill announced earlier this week that a “serious software error” in the state’s Motor Vehicle System mistakenly registered approximately 6,600 noncitizens to vote between June 2023 and June 2024 under the administration of former Gov. Phil Murphy.
According to the governor, roughly 400 of those individuals ultimately cast ballots before the error was discovered.
State officials say they found no evidence that any election outcome was affected.
Responding to IDEMIA’s statement, a New Jersey official told the Post that regardless of how the data was recorded, the records should never have been forwarded for voter registration.
“Anytime somebody answers ‘no’ to the citizenship question, that record should not be transmitted to the Division of Elections,” the official said.
DOJ Requests Information
The dispute comes as the Department of Justice has requested additional information about the registrations.
According to Fox News, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon gave New Jersey five business days to provide the names, birth dates, nationalities and addresses of the approximately 6,600 registrants, along with voting records for the roughly 400 individuals who cast ballots.
The request is tied to an existing federal lawsuit involving New Jersey’s voter registration database.
Sherrill Accuses Trump Administration of Politicizing Investigation
Sherrill’s office criticized the federal inquiry, arguing it reflects a broader effort by the Trump administration to politicize election administration.
“The Trump administration has a long history of weaponizing the Justice Department for political purposes and attempting to overturn election results,” Sherrill spokesman Sean Higgins told the New York Post.
The governor has previously emphasized that the registrations occurred before she took office and insisted her administration immediately launched an investigation after learning of the issue.
Calls for Broader Review
The controversy has prompted renewed calls from Republican officials for changes to election procedures.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (R-N.J.) has asked the General Services Administration and the Office of Management and Budget to conduct a government-wide review of federal contracts with IDEMIA, arguing the incident raises concerns beyond New Jersey.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson cited the incident as evidence supporting passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, legislation that would require documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections.
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