Update and Statement from Governor Sherrill on MVC Issue

“That stands in contrast to the Trump Administration and Republicans, whose only interest has been in trying to use this issue for political gain.

“I am grateful to everyone who has been working around the clock on remediation efforts and reviewing our records with a fine-toothed comb, to preserve the integrity of our voter rolls, and ensure that our elections remain free and fair.”

Since July 21, when this issue was first brought to light, the Sherrill Administration has moved swiftly to review records and identify affected individuals. The Statewide Voter Registration System was briefly taken offline so the Division of Elections could copy and preserve the system and then modify the status of individuals impacted by the system error. The Administration is now sharing the figures from the review and the updates that have been made to the system below.

• Approximately 5,100 registered individuals have been placed in deleted status in the system, since they were only registered because of the system error and had no other registration or attestation to their eligibility to register to vote (i.e., additional transactions in the system that would bring up voter questions or request declarations on voter eligibility, such as renewing a driver’s license). These individuals have been removed from New Jersey voter rolls because they were placed on the rolls in error.
• Approximately 1,450 registered individuals have had their registration status changed to rejected to prevent them from voting pending additional review. They have been referred to county election officials for that review. These are individuals who were impacted by the system error but have separate voter registrations, attestations, or transactions in the system, such that further review is required to determine whether these individuals are eligible and should be registered. Everyone in this modified status will not be able to vote until their record is resolved and their eligibility is verified.
• As stated previously, fewer than 400—approximately 340—of those newly registered as a result of the system error voted.
• In addition, the State has identified approximately 220 individuals who were affected by the software error and voted, but who also had previous voter registration or separate attestations to eligibility that are indicative of valid registrations. The State is referring this group of people to county officials for appropriate review to ensure all eligible voters are not disenfranchised.
• All remaining record changes and removals will occur at the county level. The Administration has directed county officials to complete their examinations before voting begins, ensuring that ineligible individuals are removed from the voter rolls and that eligible voters are not disenfranchised. The State’s investigation into how this error occurred is ongoing.