House Republicans demand records by November 16 as Sherrill calls the investigation “political theater” less than two weeks before Election Day.
TRENTON, NJ — A congressional investigation into thousands of improperly registered New Jersey voters escalated Wednesday when House Republicans subpoenaed the Sherrill administration, saying nearly three months of requests had failed to produce adequate answers.
The House Judiciary and House Administration committees are demanding records concerning approximately 6,600 noncitizens registered to vote between June 2023 and June 2024 through the Motor Vehicle Commission.
Acting Secretary of State Shirley U. Emehelu faces a November 16 deadline to produce documents covering the software failure, citizenship safeguards, vendor communications and efforts to remove improperly registered voters. The demand moves the dispute from voluntary requests to compulsory congressional process.
Republicans say the state has not provided sufficient answers
Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Jeff Van Drew and Elections Subcommittee Chairwoman Laurel Lee announced the subpoena October 21.
The committees first requested documents August 3. Seventy-nine days later, they said, New Jersey’s response remained inadequate and had impeded their ability to conduct oversight and consider changes to federal election law.
The investigation centers on how people who indicated they were not American citizens nevertheless entered the state’s voter-registration system.
Republicans are also pressing for answers about how the registrations were discovered, what officials did afterward and whether safeguards can reliably prevent another failure.
Their demand concerns both the original registration problem and the state’s handling of its aftermath.
Van Drew demands evidence behind software explanation
Van Drew said hundreds of the improperly registered individuals went on to cast ballots. He accused the administration of answering congressional questions with political attacks and documents that provided little explanation.
“If it was simply a software glitch, then show us the evidence,” Van Drew said.
The South Jersey congressman also questioned why registrations remained on the rolls after the state learned of the problem. He distinguished the original failure, which began under former Gov. Phil Murphy, from the current administration’s responsibility to answer investigators.
The requested records would allow lawmakers to examine the technical explanation alongside communications between state officials and the technology vendor, as well as the measures used to identify and remove ineligible registrations.
Sherrill fires back over election timing
Sherrill rejected the Republicans’ account of her administration’s response and accused congressional leaders of staging a political confrontation thirteen days before the November 3 midterm elections.
“I’m focused on governing effectively. Republicans in Congress clearly aren’t,” she said Wednesday.
The governor said her administration acted immediately after discovering the MVC registration issue, communicated the facts and implemented agency-wide reforms. She maintained that the state had been transparent throughout its response.
Sherrill singled out Van Drew and Jordan, calling their use of the committee “political theater.”
She said her priorities remained secure elections and reducing costs for New Jersey residents.