Company Disputes New Jersey’s Claim About ‘Serious Software Error’ That Added Noncitizens to Voter Roll

IDEMIA responded after New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said the error resulted in 6,600 noncitizens being added to the state’s voter roll.

A voting site during the primary election in Cape May, N.J., on June 4, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Software company IDEMIA, a company that has worked with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle System for more than 40 years, released a statement on July 22 pushing back on New Jersey’s blaming a “serious software error” for 6,600 noncitizens mistakenly being registered to vote in the state.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill revealed on July 21 the improper registrations, which took place during the previous administration. She said due to a software error “the system registered” these individuals despite them denying they were citizens when they applied for driver’s licenses or identification cards.

In an email to The Epoch Times, IDEMIA, an identification software provider, acknowledged the individuals disclaimed U.S. citizenship but also said they indicated “Yes” to wanting to register to vote.

The company suggested the New Jersey government was responsible for the noncitizens being placed on the state’s voter rolls.

“The voter registration information is transmitted to the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Elections, which is ultimately responsible for verifying eligibility to vote,” the company said in a statement provided to The Epoch Times. “Information submitted by IDEMIA must still be validated and adjudicated by the Division of Elections.”

On July 21, Sherrill said the registrations were for individuals applying for identification cards or drivers’ licenses between June 2023 and June 2024. She added that a preliminary analysis showed that fewer than 400 of the individuals mistakenly registered in New Jersey voted.

In her announcement of the error, Sherrill said the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission administrator had started the process of replacing the software vendor responsible for administering the system.

In its statement, the company said, “IDEMIA works with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, and has for more than 40 years, to support the process through which eligible individuals may indicate their interest in registering to vote when applying for or renewing a driver’s license or state-issued identification card.”

Sherrill said the voter registration issue occurred under former Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration. Sherrill noted that she directed her chief counsel to conduct an investigation of the mistake and ordered any residents erroneously added as voters to be removed from the state’s voter rolls.

“I am appalled by the reckless failures that allowed this to happen and the lack of transparency shown by those in charge at the time,” Sherrill said. “This failure didn’t occur under my watch, but accountability starts now. I am taking action to prevent anything like it from occurring in the future and make sure those responsible are held accountable.”

The White House told The Epoch Times by email on July 21 that the incident demonstrated the “absolute necessity” of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, also known as the SAVE America Act. President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for Congress to pass the legislation, which he has said will strengthen election integrity.

In the emailed statement, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said, “Democrats and their media allies have repeatedly said it is impossible for noncitizens to register to vote, let alone cast a ballot. Time and again, they have been proven wrong.”

In another statement, the White House said the voter registration error in New Jersey was the “direct result of Democrat policies that refuse basic citizenship checks” and urged Congress to immediately pass the SAVE America Act.

On Tuesday, Sherrill accused the Trump administration of attempting to “weaponize elections for political gain.” She said the president did not have credibility on the issue of election integrity and contrasted her administration in New Jersey with the Trump administration.

“The difference is simple: When we find a problem, we don’t hide it, deny it, or invent conspiracies. We investigate it, we fix it, and we tell the public. That’s what accountability and good governance look like, and that’s exactly what my administration is doing,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department has asked Sherrill to provide the federal government with information regarding the noncitizens who were mistakenly registered as voters.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon asked Sherrill on July 21 to provide the Justice Department with the full names, nationalities, dates of birth, residential addresses, and registration dates and locations of the individuals who were mistakenly registered in New Jersey.

Dhillon also requested that the state provide information regarding the individuals whom the state confirmed had voted after being erroneously registered. She said the state had five days to provide the Justice Department with the information.

“Ensuring that U.S. citizens’ votes are not illegally diluted by noncitizens’ votes is of paramount importance,” Dhillon said.

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against New Jersey and four other states in February. The lawsuit said officials failed to provide the federal government with statewide voting records that it said were needed to prevent ineligible voters from being included in voter registration lists.

The Epoch Times reached out to Sherrill’s office for comment but did not receive a response before publication time.

Tom Gantert contributed to this report.