Trenton, NJ – The technology company identified by Gov. Mikie Sherrill as the vendor behind New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle Commission voter registration system is pushing back against claims that a software glitch caused approximately 6,600 non-U.S. citizens to be registered to vote.
In a statement, IDEMIA said its role is limited to transmitting voter registration information collected through the MVC to the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Elections. The company said responsibility for determining whether an applicant is eligible to vote rests with the state.
Vendor says Division of Elections validates registrations
According to IDEMIA, it has worked with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to support voter registration offered during driver’s license and identification card transactions. It has worked with MVC for over 40 years prior to the allegations lodged by Governor Sherrill this week.
“IDEMIA’s role is to transmit information through the motor vehicle system,” the company said.
“The voter registration information is transmitted to the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Elections, which is ultimately responsible for verifying eligibility to vote.”
The company added that “information submitted by IDEMIA must still be validated and adjudicated by the Division of Elections.”
Statement challenges governor’s software error claim
The response comes after Sherrill announced that a “serious software error” in the MVC system resulted in roughly 6,600 people who indicated they were not U.S. citizens being registered to vote between June 2023 and June 2024.
The governor said the affected applicants answered “no” when asked on an electronic keypad whether they were U.S. citizens, but were nevertheless registered to vote. She ordered an investigation, directed that improperly registered voters be removed from the rolls, and announced that the MVC would replace the vendor administering the system.
Sherrill also said a preliminary review found that fewer than 400 people who were newly registered because of the issue ultimately voted.
The White House disputed this claim, saying it has proof that over 33,000 illegal aliens are registered to vote in New Jersey. Mikie Sherrill acknowledged that 400 voters is a preliminary number and that the investigation is continuing.
Conflicting accounts of what went wrong
IDEMIA’s statement does not acknowledge a software malfunction and instead emphasizes that voter registration records transmitted through the MVC process are subject to review by the Division of Elections before an applicant is determined to be eligible.
The company’s statement does not directly address whether any software issue occurred within the MVC system. Instead, it states that the Division of Elections is “ultimately responsible for verifying eligibility to vote” and that all voter registration information must be validated before it is accepted.
As of Wednesday, the state had not publicly responded to IDEMIA’s statement or provided technical details supporting the governor’s assertion that the registrations resulted from a software error. The investigation ordered by Sherrill remains ongoing.
