Suffolk County Reaction: NJ Voting Scandal Raises Local Concerns

The disclosure that thousands of noncitizens were mistakenly registered to vote in New Jersey has prompted Suffolk officials to call for tighter safeguards to ensure that every election is fair and every lawful ballot counts.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said a software error in the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission system improperly registered approximately 6,600 people who identified themselves as noncitizens while applying for licenses or identification cards between June 2023 and June 2024. A preliminary review found that hundreds of them cast ballots, prompting Sherrill to order the registrations removed and launch an investigation.

State Sen. Dean Murray said the number cannot be dismissed simply because it represented a small portion of New Jersey’s electorate.

“We can’t tell voters that every vote counts and every vote matters, and then when we catch there being voter fraud, we say, ‘Oh, it’s not a big deal.’”

Murray noted that a New York Senate race was decided by just 10 votes and said hundreds of ineligible ballots could easily determine the outcome of a close contest.

“Any voter fraud is a big deal,” Murray said. “If it’s one, it’s a big deal. I’ve seen races decided by a vote.”

State Sen. Mario Mattera said the incident demonstrates the need for voter identification and stronger citizenship verification.

“There’s a reason why we need voter ID and I don’t understand why we have federal senators that don’t believe we need it,” Mattera said, referring to the U.S. Senate’s failure to approve the SAVE Act, which would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.

Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano, who has sponsored voter identification legislation in Albany, has also argued that requiring identification would strengthen public confidence and help ensure that only eligible citizens cast ballots.

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said the central issue is protecting voters from having their voices diluted.

“What you want to do is convince every citizen of this country that is entitled to vote that their vote counts,” Romaine said, “and it’s not going to be diluted by allowing people who are not eligible to vote to have their votes counted.”