Cory Booker Defends Against Federal Voter ID Legislation Amid New Jersey Voting Scandal

Senator Cory Booker from New Jersey has argued against President Donald Trump’s SAVE America Act following the discovery of approximately 6,600 noncitizens mistakenly being eligible to vote in New Jersey. He asserted that this error is not connected to the absence of a federal voter ID mandate.

Booker stated, “Nothing in the SAVE Act would have prevented a clerical error like we’ve seen in Texas, Oregon, and New Jersey.” He emphasized the importance of securing the voting systems.

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill announced that the state had eliminated these noncitizens from the voter roll for the 2024 presidential election. Sherrill attributed the mistake to a “serious software error” in the state’s Motor Vehicle System.

Mikie Sherrill, governor of New Jersey, speaks in the Assembly Chamber of the New Jersey State House in Trenton, New Jersey, US, on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (Heather Khalifa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

This revelation comes as Trump pressures Senate Republicans to adopt the SAVE Act, although some GOP members are hesitant, while Democrats largely oppose it.

“[The SAVE Act] would stop millions of Americans from voting,” Booker commented on Trump’s push for the legislation.

Both Sherrill and New Jersey authorities have launched an investigation to understand how noncitizens became eligible to vote, with the governor ordering immediate removal of the noncitizens from the voter rolls upon the discovery.

Booker addressed the seriousness of the issue in New Jersey, “We take this very seriously in New Jersey. People are stepping up.”

Sen. Cory Booker joined civil rights and voting rights advocates at a rally outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on July 29, 2025, to reintroduce the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

He added, “We have a governor that’s saying this is unacceptable. We’re going to make sure that we get to the bottom of it. People need to be held accountable.”

Booker criticized the SAVE Act as a “massive voter suppression bill,” suggesting it would block millions from voting by requiring in-person citizen documentation.

While opposed to the SAVE Act, Booker told Fox News Digital that proof of citizenship should be required for voting but managed at the state level, even for federal elections.

“The states, as the Constitution says, should handle their voting when there are problems or violations of the law. People should be prosecuted,” he explained.

Currently, no national standard exists for detecting or reporting these voting errors, as exemplified by New Jersey’s case. This lack of standards complicates the identification of widespread issues. Republicans advocating for the SAVE Act argue it could address these errors.

“We’re going to handle the problems in New Jersey, but I hate how it’s being weaponized by some people to advance schemes that actually would hurt Americans,” Booker said regarding the SAVE Act.

Hannah is a Production Assistant for the Politics team at Fox News Digital.