Trump Administration and New Jersey Clash Over Noncitizen Voter Rolls

President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced a preliminary review identifying 278,000 noncitizens registered to vote across the United States. The administration is using these figures, which include 250,000 registrants in California, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, to advocate for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, requiring proof of citizenship and photo ID for federal elections.

In New Jersey, Governor Mikie Sherrill reported that a software glitch in the Motor Vehicle Commission's automatic registration program erroneously registered approximately 6,600 noncitizens during 2023 and 2024. Sherrill stated fewer than 400 of these individuals cast ballots and has since removed over 4,500 voters from the rolls, though she noted some may actually be citizens. Secretary Mullin challenged these figures, claiming the actual number of noncitizens on New Jersey rolls could be as high as 35,152.

The conflict escalated when Sherrill defied a request from Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon to provide the personal identification data of these registrants, citing privacy concerns and a lack of legal basis. Dhillon countered that New Jersey has a legal duty to maintain eligible rolls and warned the DOJ would obtain the information through all legal means. Meanwhile, the technology firm IDEMIA disputed the claim of a software error, asserting that the state's Division of Elections remains responsible for verifying eligibility. In response, Sherrill signed the John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act and commissioned an independent investigation into the error.