Key facts
- New Jersey officials are addressing concerns over noncitizens mistakenly registered to vote.
- Hundreds of noncitizens have requested removal from voter rolls, fearing repercussions for their immigration status.
- New Jersey's Attorney General refused to release a list of noncitizen registrants to the Trump administration.
- The state has removed thousands from voter rolls, with others pending further review.
- A judge dismissed a lawsuit seeking access to New Jersey's unredacted voter registration data.
New Jersey's voter registration system has come under scrutiny following revelations that noncitizens were mistakenly registered to vote, prompting concerns about privacy and potential impacts on immigration status. County election officials have reported that individuals identified as noncitizens are reaching out, anxious that their registration could jeopardize their immigration or pending citizenship applications. A review by the Republican State Committee found hundreds of such individuals had requested their names be removed from voter rolls.
Amidst these concerns, New Jersey Attorney General Sherrill refused a demand from the Trump administration to hand over a list of 6,600 noncitizen registrants, stating the request lacked legal basis and vowing to protect residents' personal information. The state has since removed 4,500 individuals from the rolls and referred another 2,100 for further examination due to potential misidentification.
This situation also played into a separate lawsuit filed by the Trump administration seeking access to New Jersey's unredacted voter registration list. However, District Court Judge Zahid Quraishi dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that the plaintiff was not entitled to the information sought. Elections administrator Thompson explained that while county officials verify identity against state databases, this process does not validate citizenship, as noncitizens can obtain driver's licenses and Social Security numbers. She also noted that applications indicating non-citizenship are discarded. A language barrier may contribute to the issue, as the voter registration prompt at the Motor Vehicle Commission is only offered in English and Spanish, despite the driver's license test being available in 13 languages.