New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill [AP=Yonhap News file photo]

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill announced on the 21st (local time) that the state has discovered that 6,600 non-U.S. citizen residents were registered on the voter rolls due to a computer system error.

Governor Sherrill, a member of the Democratic Party, stated in a press release that "a critical software error in New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commission system resulted in approximately 6,600 individuals who indicated they were not U.S. citizens being registered to vote between June 2023 and June 2024."

Governor Sherrill explained, "These individuals answered 'no' to the question of whether they were U.S. citizens via the keypad while applying for driver's licenses and identification cards, but the system registered them (as voters) anyway."

Governor Sherrill reported that investigations showed fewer than 400 of these newly registered voters actually cast ballots.

Governor Sherrill, a Democrat, took office this past January, and the registration error occurred during the tenure of her predecessor, Phil Murphy.

Governor Sherrill stated that she has ordered the removal of those wrongly registered from the rolls and a replacement of the system's operating contractor. She added, "At a time when the Trump administration is weaponizing elections for political gain, I am protecting our elections," and asserted, "When we find problems, we do not hide them, deny them, or invent conspiracy theories."

Polling station in New Jersey (November 2025) [AP=Yonhap News file photo]

New Jersey's disclosure comes as U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing for the 'Save America' Act, which would mandate proof of citizenship and identification for voting, claiming that the U.S. election system is highly vulnerable to foreign interference and at high risk of manipulation.

In a national address on the 16th, President Trump urged the passage of the bill, alleging that evidence has emerged showing extensive interference by China in the 2020 presidential election—in which he failed to win re-election—aimed at influencing the results.

Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin welcomed Governor Sherrill's announcement on X (formerly Twitter).

"This is something that should have happened long ago," Mullin said. "Even one illegal vote cancels out the vote of a U.S. citizen."

However, Secretary Mullin reiterated the figures from the Department of Homeland Security's own investigation, noting that "there is a possibility that up to 35,152 non-citizens are registered as voters in New Jersey."

Previously, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security sent letters to the Secretaries of State in several regions, warning them that it had independently confirmed the registration of non-citizens on voter rolls, including 190,832 in California, 35,152 in New Jersey, 15,903 in Nevada, and 14,576 in Pennsylvania.