The Republican National Committee has escalated its dispute with New Jersey election officials by sending formal National Voter Registration Act violation notices to the state's secretary of state and six county election offices, demanding records related to noncitizens found on New Jersey voter rolls.
The notices, sent Wednesday, target officials in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties. The RNC is seeking documentation about noncitizen removals, citizenship verification efforts and other voter roll maintenance activities. Officials have until September 15 to produce the requested records or face potential litigation, according to the committee.
What the Left Is Saying
Governor Mikie Sherrill's administration has acknowledged a software error at the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission that improperly registered approximately 6,600 people to vote between June 2023 and June 2024. The governor's office described the incident as a failure that her administration discovered and has been working to correct since taking office.
Sherrill has pushed back against federal scrutiny, accusing the Trump administration of using the controversy to seek greater federal control over state voter rolls. Her office has characterized federal demands for nonpublic voter information as an overreach, calling the effort "a phishing expedition here in New Jersey." The governor's office said county officials have been directed to resolve remaining cases before the November election and that its investigation into the MVC error remains ongoing.
The administration noted that approximately 5,100 people affected by the software error were removed from voter rolls because they had no separate registration or attestation of eligibility. An additional 1,450 registrations were changed to rejected status pending further review. The state identified roughly 340 people who voted after being improperly registered through the MVC error, while approximately 220 people who voted had previous registrations or attestations indicating they may have been validly registered.
What the Right Is Saying
RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said in a statement that the committee uncovered evidence of noncitizens on New Jersey's voter rolls through public records requests. He pointed to Representative Sherrill's own acknowledgment as confirmation of the RNC's findings.
"Democrat (Gov.) Mikie Sherrill admitted what the RNC already uncovered through public records requests: Noncitizens are on New Jersey's voter rolls," Gruters said. "Now, election officials are refusing to turn over records explaining how it happened." The chairman added that voters deserve answers and threatened legal action if officials do not comply with the record requests.
The committee cited Bergen County records showing 134 noncitizens removed from New Jersey voter rolls between January 2023 and August 2026. Of those removals, 91 registrations were linked to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, according to the RNC. The party is demanding documentation of how these individuals were registered and subsequently identified.
What the Numbers Show
According to records cited by the RNC: Bergen County removed 134 noncitizens from voter rolls between January 2023 and August 2026, with 91 of those registrations linked to the MVC system. New Jersey's own disclosure indicates approximately 6,600 people were improperly registered to vote due to an MVC software error between June 2023 and June 2024.
Of those affected: approximately 5,100 were removed from rolls because they had no separate registration or attestation of eligibility; roughly 1,450 registrations were changed to rejected status pending county review; approximately 340 people affected by the error voted in elections; and about 220 people who voted through the MVC error had prior registrations suggesting valid voter status. The RNC has given officials until September 15 to produce records on noncitizen removals and citizenship verification efforts before potentially pursuing legal action.
The Bottom Line
The dispute centers on transparency versus state autonomy in election administration. The RNC argues it has a right to examine how noncitizens appeared on voter rolls and wants documentation of the state's removal process. New Jersey officials maintain they identified and are correcting the software error while resisting what they characterize as federal overreach into state election management.
The September 15 deadline sets up potential litigation if the RNC proceeds with legal action. County election offices in six New Jersey counties face pressure to either provide records or defend their voter roll maintenance procedures. Governor Sherrill has directed officials to resolve remaining cases before November, meaning voters should expect additional updates on the status of affected registrations as that deadline approaches.