The Republican National Committee is escalating its dispute with New Jersey election officials, threatening possible legal action over records connected to voter roll maintenance and the state’s recently disclosed MVC registration error.
On Wednesday, August 26, the RNC, New Jersey Republican Party, Rep. Tom Kean Jr. and state Sen. Anthony Bucco sent formal notices to New Jersey’s chief election official and election officials in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties. The notices allege that officials have not provided all records requested under the National Voter Registration Act.
The officials have been given until September 15 to address the alleged violations before the groups may seek a court order compelling production of the records. The RNC is seeking information about voter removals, citizenship verification and communications related to voter list maintenance.
Bergen County has already provided some records. According to the RNC, county data identified 134 people removed from voter rolls as noncitizens between January 2023 and August 2026, including 91 registrations linked to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. However, the committee says 10 of the 13 categories of records it requested from Bergen remain outstanding.
The dispute comes after New Jersey disclosed a serious software error in the MVC system. Governor Mikie Sherrill said approximately 6,600 people who had indicated that they were not U.S. citizens were nevertheless registered to vote between June 2023 and June 2024. The governor said the registrations occurred because of a software failure and “through no fault of their own.”
The state later reported that approximately 5,100 registrations were placed in deleted status, while another 1,450 were changed to rejected status pending further county review. Around 340 people newly registered because of the software error voted, according to the state. Officials are continuing to review additional cases before the November election.
The RNC says the requested records are necessary to understand how New Jersey maintains its voter rolls and handles potentially ineligible registrations. State officials, meanwhile, say they are working to correct the MVC error while ensuring that eligible voters are not improperly removed.
The threatened lawsuit would be another chapter in an ongoing legal fight over access to New Jersey voter records. A previous RNC lawsuit involving voter-record requests was dismissed in July after a federal judge found that the committee had not established legal standing.
Sources: Democracy Docket; New Jersey Governor’s Office; Fox News Digital.
By NJ RADAR Team