By Jasmyn Jordan
Published August 24, 2026

             New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) responded to a group of House Republicans seeking answers over approximately 6,600 noncitizens who were registered to vote through the state’s motor-vehicle system, but her three-page reply did not directly identify which elections were affected, explain how people who identified themselves as noncitizens were validated as eligible voters, or say who would be held accountable.

             Nineteen House Republicans, led by Republican Study Committee member Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), sent Sherrill a July 24 letter seeking written responses to 12 questions after her administration disclosed that roughly 6,600 people who indicated they were not U.S. citizens between June 2023 and June 2024 were nevertheless registered to vote, with a preliminary review finding that fewer than 400 cast ballots.

             “This right here is exactly why we should require ID to vote in our elections,” Van Drew told Breitbart News at the time, adding that lawmakers needed answers about “how this happened, why it was not caught sooner, and whether more ineligible registrations remain.”

Heather Khalifa/Bloomberg via Getty Images

             The lawmakers asked Sherrill to identify the elections in which affected individuals cast ballots, whether any race was decided by a margin smaller than the number of unlawfully cast ballots in that jurisdiction, what voter-eligibility validation failed, whether all affected registrations had been removed, what changes would be made before the 2026 general election, and whether officials or contractors would be held accountable.

             “We look forward to Governor Sherrill’s prompt response,” Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger (R-TX) said. The lawmakers requested complete written responses by August 21.

             Sherrill responded on the August 21 deadline to the July 24 letter. She wrote that her administration was “fully committed to ensuring that elections in New Jersey remain free and fair” and said the state treats election integrity “as a matter of the utmost seriousness.” She said she had publicly disclosed the problem on July 21, three days before the lawmakers’ letter, and described it as “a registration error” that occurred “years before I took office.”

             Sherrill wrote that her administration had “moved aggressively to remediate the issue and remove affected individuals from the voter rolls” and that she had ordered “an immediate investigation that is ongoing,” conducted by what she described as “a bipartisan firm led by the former state Attorney General for a Republican Governor.” She added, “This work remains my focus.”

             The governor then turned on the Republican lawmakers, writing that “Washington Republicans, on the other hand, seem much more concerned with using the issue for political gain than they are with protecting our elections.” Sherrill said several signatories had supported President Donald Trump “in his efforts to undermine our election system and defund election security,” wrote that seven “attempted to overturn the 2020 elections and voted to challenge the electoral votes of states,” and said one signatory had employed “an operative convicted of voter fraud, bribery, and blackmail.”

             Sherrill also disputed the lawmakers’ contention that the SAVE America Act would have prevented the registrations, writing, “I encourage you to become more familiar with the legislation you have cosponsored.” She noted that the affected individuals had answered that they were not citizens, although she said a subsequent investigation indicated that “some may, in fact, have had valid registrations.”

             The governor additionally criticized the SAVE database, writing that it has “well-documented accuracy issues” and saying this has resulted in “the disenfranchisement of eligible citizen voters.” She cited Texas as an example, writing that the database had flagged U.S. citizens as potentially ineligible voters and that some “were likely unfairly removed from voter rolls.”

             Sherrill raised objections to expanding the federal government’s involvement in voter registration, writing that proposals including “a centralized registry of voters” raise “important concerns regarding personal privacy and abuses of power under President Trump.” She wrote that Trump “has shown time and time again that he will do anything to ensure that only those who support him are able to vote” and said state administration of elections reflects the type of concern “our Founding Fathers sought to guard against.”

             Addressing the lawmakers’ outstanding questions more broadly, Sherrill wrote, “We will continue to approach this issue with transparency, integrity, and accountability,” and said the commitment was “a matter of record.” She added that “the answers to many of the questions posed in your letter are already matters of public record or have been addressed through information released by my administration,” pointing the lawmakers to three public statements from her office.

             However, Sherrill’s response did not include the following answers which Republicans had specifically requested: directly list the specific primary, general, municipal, school board, special, or federal elections in which the affected voters cast ballots; state how individuals who had identified themselves as noncitizens were validated as eligible voters; identify which officials knew of the failure and when; or name any officials or contractors who would be held responsible.

             Additionally, Sherill’s response did not disclose “the precise number of affected registrations,” information about the state’s validation procedures, and whether officials or contractors “will be held accountable.”

             Sherrill closed by writing, “The People of New Jersey have my commitment that we will protect the private information of New Jersey voters, protect the integrity of our voter rolls, and ensure our elections remain free, fair, and secure.”

             Van Drew said after receiving the response, “We raised legitimate questions after New Jersey admitted that thousands of noncitizens were registered to vote. Rather than simply answering those questions, Governor Sherrill chose to respond with political talking points and personal attacks. Her response was very disappointing and beneath the seriousness of this issue. This was about understanding exactly how this failure occurred, making sure it never happens again, and protecting the integrity of our elections. And this issue is not going away. We will not stop pursuing the facts, demanding answers, and pressing for accountability until we get the full truth.”

             Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) said, “The American people — especially New Jerseyans — are owed answers as to how such a catastrophic breach of election security could have occurred. Governor Sherrill and the State of New Jersey must take accountability and demonstrate complete transparency while providing a concrete path forward to ensure that such gross failures cannot threaten the integrity of our elections ever again. Whatever the cause — be it incompetence or something far more sinister — showing the American people how to fix this problem is critical to ensuring faith in future elections. Secure elections are the bedrock of democracy; we must take all steps necessary to ensure that votes are cast only by those who have a right to vote.”

             Pfluger said Sherrill’s “three page response to our letter is long on political attacks and short on answers,” adding, “Americans deserve better. Elections are the last line of defense for a government accountable to its people. Republicans have been raising legitimate concerns about vulnerabilities in our election systems for years, and we will not stop pursuing the truth until every question is answered. It’s more clear than ever that we need to pass the SAVE America Act to make sure our elections are secure, transparent, and worthy of the public’s trust.”

             Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) said, “As I wrote last month, New Jersey has a serious election integrity problem that demands answers. Non-citizens were registered to vote and some cast ballots. Governor Sherrill needs to explain how this happened, why it went undetected, and what safeguards will be put in place to protect our elections.”

             Rep. Nicholas Langworthy (R-NY) said, “More than a month later, we are no closer to getting answers about this serious breach of our election system than we were on day one. Governor Sherill put on a good show at first, but her refusal to answer even basic questions makes clear she is following the Democrat playbook of deny, obfuscate, and hope the public stops paying attention. We won’t let this be swept under the rug.”

             Rep. Tim Moore (R-NC) said, “The American people deserve transparency when the integrity of our elections is called into question. Instead of providing straightforward answers, we received Governor Sherrill’s political rhetoric that leaves critical questions unanswered. Congress has a responsibility to get to the bottom of what happened and ensure those responsible are held accountable. We will continue exercising oversight as necessary to protect our elections.”

This article was published on August 24, 2026 and can be found online at: https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/08/24/nj-gov-mikie-sherrill-attacks-republicans-dodges-questions-on-6600-noncitizen-voter-registrations/