Democratic governor ADMITS glitch registered thousands of noncitizen voters even as she torches 'reckless' regime

By BREANNE DEPPISCH, US SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 20:42, 21 July 2026 | Updated: 20:46, 21 July 2026 More than 6,000 noncitizens in New Jersey were mistakenly added to the state's voter rolls as the result of a Department of Motor Vehicles software glitch, including fewer than 400 noncitizens who cast ballots in various elections, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill said Tuesday. The eye-popping announcement comes just months before the midterms, and could add fuel to the fire as President Donald Trump seeks to revive his widely debunked claims about threats to US election integrity. Speaking to reporters at a press conference, Sherrill, who took office in January, said that roughly 6,600 noncitizens were erroneously registered to vote in the state between June 2023 and June 2024 as a result of the software glitch at the DMV, linked to an outside vendor that Sherrill said the state is currently phasing out.  Despite identifying themselves as noncitizens, the individuals were mistakenly added to the voter rolls anyways. Sherrill, a Democrat, said Tuesday that state officials first became aware of the error last week, and immediately launched an investigation into what had happened.  She stressed there is no proof that the 'less than 400' noncitizens who cast ballots impacted the results of any election.  The noncitizens voters were Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters who were 'scattered across the state,' she said, adding that New Jersey is currently in the process of removing all 6,600 noncitizens from its voter registration lists. 'We have no evidence at this time that any elections were swayed,' Sherrill said, though she stressed that the software glitch was 'unacceptable.'  Then-New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill and then-lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Dale Caldwell celebrate after winning the 2025 election in East Brunswick, New Jersey    President Donald Trump speaks at the Oval Office  Voting booths are seen ahead of a primary election in June 2026 Sherrill, a Democrat, sought to contrast her response to the noncitizen voters with Trump's widely debunked claims of election fraud in the US 'I am appalled by the reckless failures that allowed this to happen and the lack of transparency shown by those in charge at the time,' she said in a statement. 'It’s unacceptable that the vendor released software with such a glaring error, it’s unacceptable that the MVC took a year to get this issue fixed and it’s unacceptable that no one in the previous administration brought this to light, demanded accountability or took action when it happened years ago.'  The number of noncitizen voters who participated in New Jersey's elections is significant.  There are very few large-scale instances of voter fraud or noncitizen voting in the US.  A person enters a voting booth in New Hampshire in 2024 Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks to the media alongside Trump Still, Trump and his allies will almost certainly seize on the news to cast doubt on the integrity of US election systems, and revive debunked claims about noncitizen voting. As if anticipating this, Sherrill used her statement to highlight the contrast between Trump's claims and her office's approach the error. 'As the Trump Administration tries to weaponize elections for political gain, I am ensuring we protect our elections,' she said. 'The difference is simple: when we find a problem, we don't hide it, deny it, or invent conspiracies. We investigate it, we fix it, and we tell the public. That's what accountability and good governance look like, and that's exactly what my administration is doing.' The Trump administration seized on news of the glitch to urge support for the SAVE America bill, or the Trump-backed legislation that would require voters to show proof of US citizenship at the time of registration. 'American voters deserve to have confidence that our elections are safe and secure – President Trump will never stop fighting to make that happen and all patriotic Americans should join in his effort,' White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told the Daily Mail in a statement.  Democrats and some Republicans in Congress have raised concerns about the SAVE America legislation, which they said could create undue hurdles for certain voters and curtail the participation of many Americans.