Former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac is urging the Justice Department to investigate New Jersey’s voter rolls and deploy federal election monitors, citing thousands of registration errors, alleged illegal voting and the resignation of the state’s top election official.

TRENTON, NJ — A former New Jersey mayor is asking the Trump administration to increase federal oversight of the state’s November elections, warning that thousands of questionable voter registrations and newly discovered errors at the Motor Vehicle Commission could point to broader problems with the integrity of New Jersey’s voter rolls.

Mario Kranjac, the former Republican mayor of Englewood Cliffs, sent a letter Thursday, October 8, to U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and New Jersey U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer requesting additional federal investigations and election monitors ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

The request comes one day after Gov. Mikie Sherrill disclosed another 750 voter registration errors and approximately 340 potentially improper registrations associated with correctional re-entry events, adding to the roughly 6,600 records affected by an earlier citizenship-related software malfunction.

“New Jersey’s voter rolls raise serious questions that warrant further federal scrutiny,” Kranjac wrote.

Former mayor wants federal monitors at New Jersey polling places

Kranjac’s letter calls on the Department of Justice to examine how state officials handled the voter registration problems, investigate credible evidence of unlawful voting and deploy federal election monitors where legally appropriate.

“I write to you to urge the Department of Justice (DOJ) to increase federal monitoring and investigations of New Jersey’s elections ahead of the November midterms,” he wrote.

The former mayor argued that state officials have not fully disclosed the scope of the registration problems and questioned whether the state’s existing investigations are sufficient.

“Given the state’s reluctance to cooperate, my experience as an elected official in the state leads me to believe the problem could be significantly larger than Gov. Mikie Sherrill is willing to admit or confront publicly,” Kranjac wrote.

He also cited a Department of Homeland Security estimate suggesting that as many as 35,152 noncitizens could be registered to vote in New Jersey. That figure is an estimate cited in his letter, not a verified count of ineligible registered voters.

Kranjac linked his concerns to the state’s immigration policies, alleging that those policies contribute to vulnerabilities in voter registration. The letter did not establish a causal connection between New Jersey’s sanctuary policies and the MVC software errors.

Sherrill administration acknowledges another round of errors

The letter follows Sherrill’s October 7 announcement of additional MVC registration errors, which identified problems extending beyond the citizenship-related malfunction first disclosed in July.

The latest review uncovered approximately 750 records in which applicants selected “no” when asked whether they met the minimum voting age requirement, yet their information was still transmitted for voter registration.

State officials said the individuals were old enough to vote and appeared to have selected the incorrect response on the electronic keypad. No underage voting resulted from the error, according to the administration.

The review also identified approximately 340 potentially improper registrations from MVC correctional re-entry events dating back to 2016.

About 50 people whose records were processed through the age-eligibility error had no other registration and subsequently voted, prompting referrals for further review.

Sherrill has maintained that her administration is correcting errors inherited from previous administrations rather than suspending automatic voter registration.

“My Administration continues to move aggressively to fix the serious system error at the Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) left behind by the previous administration to ensure our elections remain free, fair, and secure,” Sherrill said Wednesday.

The administration is introducing daily automated audits, additional safeguards and a new technology vendor.

Federal prosecutors have charged New Jersey residents with illegal voting

Kranjac also pointed to recent federal criminal cases involving allegations that noncitizens illegally participated in New Jersey elections.

In September, federal prosecutors charged Sanata Coulibaly, 64, of Hudson County, with illegally voting in federal elections and making false statements on a citizenship application.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for New Jersey, Coulibaly allegedly registered using a paper application and falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen.

Prosecutors allege she voted in federal elections in 2018, 2020 and 2024.

Coulibaly is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Her alleged registration through a paper application is separate from the MVC software malfunction.

Kranjac cited the prosecution as evidence supporting broader federal scrutiny of New Jersey election administration.

“The DOJ has also uncovered multiple cases of illegal voting and I am grateful to the DOJ’s efforts and President’s leadership on these existential matters,” he wrote.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has established an Election Integrity Task Force to investigate potential violations of federal election law in New Jersey.

Caldwell resignation raises additional questions for former mayor

Kranjac also questioned the timing of former Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell’s September 25 resignation, which left New Jersey without its elected lieutenant governor and removed the official who had also served as secretary of state.

As secretary of state, Caldwell oversaw the department responsible for administering statewide elections.

“My experience in the state leads me to ask why New Jersey Democrats suddenly removed the official responsible for administering its elections five weeks before Election Day, particularly at a time when serious questions remain regarding voter rolls and the state’s cooperation with federal investigations,” Kranjac wrote.

Caldwell resigned following an independent investigation commissioned by Sherrill that substantiated allegations involving sexual harassment, ethics violations and improper workplace conduct.

Sherrill demanded Caldwell’s resignation after receiving the investigation’s findings. Caldwell has disputed the conclusions and criticized the investigation.

The investigation into Caldwell concerned personal and workplace conduct, not alleged election fraud. No evidence has been presented connecting his resignation to the MVC registration errors.

Shirley Emehelu is now serving as acting secretary of state.

Kranjac warns about local elections decided by narrow margins

Kranjac argued that questionable registrations could be particularly consequential in municipal elections, where margins can sometimes be extremely small.

He also alleged that New Jersey’s voter rolls include individuals who have moved but remain registered at previous addresses, including some locations where he claims they never lived.

Those allegations were not accompanied by specific voter records in the letter.

“Every eligible citizen has an interest in knowing that lawful votes are not diluted by ballots cast by those who are ineligible to participate,” Kranjac wrote.

The former mayor wants federal officials to evaluate New Jersey’s corrective efforts and investigate potentially unlawful voting before Election Day.

Federal oversight request comes weeks before midterms

The federal monitoring proposal comes as the Justice Department prepares for the November elections and faces legal challenges concerning the scope of its election-monitoring activities.

Federal observers have historically been deployed under applicable election laws to monitor compliance with voting rights protections. The extent of federal authority to send additional monitors is now the subject of litigation.

New Jersey officials maintain that the registration problems are being addressed and that affected records are being reviewed to protect both election integrity and the voting rights of eligible residents.

Kranjac’s request does not establish that widespread fraudulent voting occurred, and the total number of registrations affected by software failures cannot automatically be treated as a count of ineligible voters.

The former mayor nevertheless argues that federal intervention is necessary before voters return to the polls.

“But respectfully, more must be done,” he wrote.

The Justice Department has not publicly announced whether it will act on Kranjac’s October 8 request.