Press Releases

Washington, DC -Today, Congressman Van Drew led 18 of his House Republican colleagues in sending a letter to Governor Mikie Sherrill demanding answers after New Jersey announced that approximately 6,600 non-citizens were registered to vote over the course of a year and nearly 400 cast ballots before the problem was discovered. Click here to read the letter.

"When the state uncovers a failure of this magnitude, it cannot simply acknowledge the problem and move on," said Rep. Van Drew (NJ-02). "Our elections depend on accurate voter rolls and safeguards that actually work. What is most concerning about this to me is that these numbers only account for people who selected 'no' when asked whether they were United States citizens. They told the truth about their status and were still registered to vote. Who knows how many others may have selected 'yes' and were never independently verified? If New Jersey's system failed even when non-citizens openly identified themselves, then the public deserves to know what protections are in place. This right here is exactly why we should require ID to vote in our elections. We need answers about how this happened, why it was not caught sooner, whether more ineligible registrations remain, and what is being done right now to secure our voter rolls."

"This disturbing revelation out of Trenton—perhaps only the tip of the iceberg—confirms what Republicans have known all along: that current U.S. voter-registration systems are inadequate, ill-maintained, and putting the integrity and security of our elections at grave risk," said Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04). "This failure is not merely a 'glitch'—it is a catastrophic and negligent betrayal of election integrity and New Jerseyans' trust."

"New Jersey's failure proves why strong election safeguards are essential," said Rep. Claudia Tenney (NY-24). "When 6,600 noncitizens are placed on the voter rolls and nearly 400 cast ballots, Americans are right to demand answers. I joined my colleagues in pressing Governor Sherrill for a full explanation and a clear plan to protect the integrity of future elections."

"I join Rep. Jeff Van Drew and colleagues in requesting answers from New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill after a failure in her state's voter-registration system which improperly added approximately 6,600 noncitizens to the voter rolls and enabled roughly 400 to cast ballots. It's the latest example of why we need safeguards to ensure only American citizens vote in American elections," said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11).

"For years, Democrats and the mainstream media insisted that noncitizens registering to vote was a fictitious problem. Today, we have undeniable proof that thousands of noncitizens were registered to vote in one state as others failed to do enough to protect their voter rolls," said Rep. Dan Meuser (PA-09). "We must require proof of citizenship when registering to vote and an ID when casting a ballot. Americans overwhelmingly support basic protections for our elections."

"The Left has claimed repeatedly that illegal aliens are not voting in our elections, but that clearly is not the case," said Rep. Ben Cline (VA-06). "Democrats have threatened the sanctity of our election process, our democracy, and the very principles our Nation was founded on, and House Republicans are demanding accountability. We have done our job. It is long past time for the Senate to do theirs: carry out the will of the people, pass the SAVE America Act, secure our elections, and ensure only American citizens can vote."

"For years, Democrats have dismissed legitimate concerns about voter roll integrity," said Rep. Eli Crane (AZ-02). "New Jersey's admission that aliens were registered and cast ballots proves this is a real problem. We have a commonsense solution in the SAVE America Act, yet Democrats refuse to support it. Given Americans' overwhelming support for voter ID, their opposition is indefensible. I commend Rep. Van Drew for demanding answers on an issue this fundamental to our Constitutional Republic."