RNC Challenges New Jersey Election Officials Over Voter Roll Records

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is increasing its efforts to obtain voter roll data from New Jersey election officials. The RNC is considering legal action to secure information about noncitizens allegedly on voter lists in the state.

On Wednesday, the RNC sent formal notices of alleged violations of the National Voter Registration Act to New Jersey’s secretary of state and election officials across six counties: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Somerset, and Union. The committee wants access to records about noncitizen voter removals, citizenship checks, and other voter roll management actions. Officials have until September 15 to provide the records or risk legal proceedings, according to the RNC.

The committee claims that New Jersey’s voter rolls include noncitizens. RNC Chairman Joe Gruters noted that public records requests have already revealed these irregularities. He stated, “Voters deserve answers, and the RNC is putting officials on notice: comply with the law, hand over the records, or face legal action.”

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill informed the public that approximately 6,600 noncitizens appeared on voter rolls due to a technical fault in the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) system. An estimated 400 of these individuals voted, according to reports.

The RNC reports that Bergen County records show 134 noncitizens were removed from the state’s voter rolls between January 2023 and August 2026. Out of these, 91 registrations were connected to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC).

Prior to the start of Sherrill’s office, a software error reportedly led to roughly 6,600 new registrations by the DMV between June 2023 and June 2024. The governor’s administration disclosed this issue and highlighted that around 5,100 individuals were removed because there was no separate confirmation of their voting eligibility.

Approximately 1,450 entries remain under review by county election officials. Of the wrongly registered individuals, about 340 people voted. Additionally, around 220 voters affected by this error had either previous registrations or separate attestations suggesting their registrations could be valid.

Sherrill has directed county officials to address these unresolved cases before the upcoming November election. She has criticized the former Trump administration’s attempts to gain more federal control over state voter rolls, dismissing these efforts as a “phishing expedition.”

The governor’s office stated they are continuing to investigate the MVC error. There was no immediate response from the RNC, the New Jersey secretary of state’s office, or Sherrill’s office to requests for comment.