New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is escalating her clash with the Trump administration over the state’s voter-registration debacle, even as New Jersey officials work to remove thousands of registrations that were improperly created because of a Motor Vehicle Commission software problem.
Sherrill criticized the administration Wednesday while announcing new findings from her investigation into the registration of thousands of people who were not eligible to vote. Her report said roughly 5,100 registrations have now been placed in deleted status, while additional cases remain subject to review.
Her attack on Washington came just one day after Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin publicly thanked Sherrill for what he characterized as her agreement to cooperate with the Department of Homeland Security. A Democratic source familiar with the situation, however, disputed that any such cooperation agreement exists.
The controversy has followed Sherrill since mid-July, when she disclosed that thousands of noncitizens had been improperly placed on New Jersey’s voter rolls because of a “software error” involving the MVC’s automatic voter-registration system, often referred to as “motor voter.”
“My administration has continued to move aggressively to fix the error at the Motor Vehicle Commission under the previous (Trenton) administration, to correct our voter rolls, and to protect the voting rights of eligible New Jerseyans,” Sherrill said Wednesday, adding that her probe is “what accountable government looks like.”
Sherrill then turned her criticism toward President Trump and Republicans, accusing them of exploiting the registration problem for partisan purposes.
“That stands in contrast to the Trump Administration and Republicans, whose only interest has been in trying to use this issue for political gain,” Sherrill said.
Mullin offered a dramatically different account Tuesday, saying Sherrill had agreed to work with DHS in “stopping aliens from illegally voting in your state.” He pointed to correspondence involving attorneys for New Jersey’s top elections official, Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell.
“Thank you, Governor Sherrill. We got news from your Secretary of State that New Jersey will participate with DHS in STOPPING aliens from illegally voting in your state,” Mullin tweeted.
“The 35,000 potential registered aliens [DHS] identified may only be the beginning. [I] look forward to helping NJ identify illegal voters and ensure election integrity.”
But a source familiar with the matter challenged Mullin’s characterization, saying there is no formal cooperation agreement between the Sherrill administration and either DHS or the broader Trump administration.
According to that source, the only communication sent from Trenton to Washington was Caldwell’s office responding to a letter from House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., and New Jersey Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew. The source suggested Mullin may have been referring to that exchange.
Fox News Digital contacted DHS seeking clarification but had not received a response by the time the report was published.
Sherrill spokesman Darwin Pham, responding to the controversy, said the governor “remains focused on safe and secure elections in New Jersey, in contrast to Trump and Republicans, who have consistently tried to use this issue for political gain.”
“We will continue working to fully remediate the issue left behind by the previous (Trenton) administration, and ensure the voting rights of every eligible New Jerseyan are protected.”
The White House fired back, accusing Sherrill and other Democrats of having spent years dismissing concerns that noncitizens could be registering or participating in American elections.
“It’s laughable for Governor Sherrill to criticize the Trump Administration on election integrity…” White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said.
As part of Wednesday’s announcement, Sherrill said approximately 5,100 registrations in New Jersey’s voter database were “placed in deleted status” because officials found no additional eligibility “attestations” beyond the original registrations that the state says were created improperly.
Those individuals had no subsequent declarations confirming their eligibility to vote. Sherrill previously disclosed that the software problem resulted in people being added to the voter rolls even after they answered “no” when asked whether they were U.S. citizens.
Another 1,450 registrations were switched to “rejected” status and will remain there while county election officials examine documentation to determine whether those individuals are eligible to vote. According to Sherrill’s report, just under 400 people who had been improperly registered subsequently cast ballots in recent elections.
“These individuals have been removed from New Jersey voter rolls because they were placed on the rolls in error,” Sherrill’s office said Wednesday.
Republicans responded by arguing that the governor’s findings have not settled the controversy and instead have generated additional questions about the integrity of New Jersey’s voter-registration system and whether other problems remain undiscovered.
“New Jerseyans deserve to know exactly what happened, how it happened, and whether there are other problems we have yet to uncover,” state Senate Minority Leader Anthony Bucco, R-Boonton, told Fox News Digital.
“Restoring confidence in our elections will require complete transparency from the state, cooperation from all necessary parties, and a commitment to leaving no stone unturned.”
Bucco has already called for the creation of a bipartisan legislative select committee equipped with subpoena authority. Under his proposal, the committee would also coordinate with federal officials as it investigates what went wrong.
State Senate Majority Leader Nicholas Scutari, D-Scotch Plains, previously said lawmakers intend to allow Sherrill’s investigation to conclude before determining “any necessary next steps.”
Bucco countered that the governor’s latest disclosure still fails to resolve what he described as “many serious questions” concerning both the scope of the investigation and what safeguards will ultimately be implemented.
“Like, why is the investigation limited, and how can anyone say with confidence that only 6,600 non-citizens were improperly registered? New Jerseyans deserve to know exactly what happened, how it happened, and whether there are other problems we have yet to uncover,” Bucco told Fox News Digital.
Sherrill has directed county election officials to continue examining the registrations referred to them, with the review taking place ahead of the start of early voting for November’s midterm elections.
Mullin’s office, meanwhile, said it has separately identified four noncitizens accused of illegally voting in recent elections. According to his office, the individuals are nationals of Israel, Jamaica, Liberia and India, and each is facing criminal charges.
{Matzav.com}
