{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=415799", "Breitbart article on Smith-signed letter to NJ Gov. Sherrill'NJ Gov. Mikie Sherrill Attacks Republicans, Doesn\u2019t Answer for 6,600 Noncitizen Voter Registrations'", "2026-08-24", "2026", "2026-08", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Christopher H. Smith", "S000522", "chrissmith.house.gov", "chrissmith", "https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx", "scraper", "By Jasmyn Jordan\n\nPublished August 24, 2026\n\nNew 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\u2019s 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.\n\nNineteen 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.\n\n\u201cThis right here is exactly why we should require ID to vote in our elections,\u201d Van Drew told Breitbart News at the time, adding that lawmakers needed answers about \u201chow this happened, why it was not caught sooner, and whether more ineligible registrations remain.\u201d\n\nHeather Khalifa/Bloomberg via Getty Images\n\nThe 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.\n\n\u201cWe look forward to Governor Sherrill\u2019s prompt response,\u201d Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger (R-TX) said. The lawmakers requested complete written responses by August 21.\n\nSherrill responded on the August 21 deadline to the July 24 letter. She wrote that her administration was \u201cfully committed to ensuring that elections in New Jersey remain free and fair\u201d and said the state treats election integrity \u201cas a matter of the utmost seriousness.\u201d She said she had publicly disclosed the problem on July 21, three days before the lawmakers\u2019 letter, and described it as \u201ca registration error\u201d that occurred \u201cyears before I took office.\u201d\n\nSherrill wrote that her administration had \u201cmoved aggressively to remediate the issue and remove affected individuals from the voter rolls\u201d and that she had ordered \u201can immediate investigation that is ongoing,\u201d conducted by what she described as \u201ca bipartisan firm led by the former state Attorney General for a Republican Governor.\u201d She added, \u201cThis work remains my focus.\u201d\n\nThe governor then turned on the Republican lawmakers, writing that \u201cWashington Republicans, on the other hand, seem much more concerned with using the issue for political gain than they are with protecting our elections.\u201d Sherrill said several signatories had supported President Donald Trump \u201cin his efforts to undermine our election system and defund election security,\u201d wrote that seven \u201cattempted to overturn the 2020 elections and voted to challenge the electoral votes of states,\u201d and said one signatory had employed \u201can operative convicted of voter fraud, bribery, and blackmail.\u201d\n\nSherrill also disputed the lawmakers\u2019 contention that the SAVE America Act would have prevented the registrations, writing, \u201cI encourage you to become more familiar with the legislation you have cosponsored.\u201d She noted that the affected individuals had answered that they were not citizens, although she said a subsequent investigation indicated that \u201csome may, in fact, have had valid registrations.\u201d\n\nThe governor additionally criticized the SAVE database, writing that it has \u201cwell-documented accuracy issues\u201d and saying this has resulted in \u201cthe disenfranchisement of eligible citizen voters.\u201d She cited Texas as an example, writing that the database had flagged U.S. citizens as potentially ineligible voters and that some \u201cwere likely unfairly removed from voter rolls.\u201d\n\nSherrill raised objections to expanding the federal government\u2019s involvement in voter registration, writing that proposals including \u201ca centralized registry of voters\u201d raise \u201cimportant concerns regarding personal privacy and abuses of power under President Trump.\u201d She wrote that Trump \u201chas shown time and time again that he will do anything to ensure that only those who support him are able to vote\u201d and said state administration of elections reflects the type of concern \u201cour Founding Fathers sought to guard against.\u201d\n\nAddressing the lawmakers\u2019 outstanding questions more broadly, Sherrill wrote, \u201cWe will continue to approach this issue with transparency, integrity, and accountability,\u201d and said the commitment was \u201ca matter of record.\u201d She added that \u201cthe 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,\u201d pointing the lawmakers to three public statements from her office.\n\nHowever, Sherrill\u2019s 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.\n\nAdditionally, Sherill\u2019s response did not disclose \u201cthe precise number of affected registrations,\u201d information about the state\u2019s validation procedures, and whether officials or contractors \u201cwill be held accountable.\u201d\n\nSherrill closed by writing, \u201cThe 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.\u201d\n\nVan Drew said after receiving the response, \u201cWe 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.\u201d\n\nRep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) said, \u201cThe American people \u2014 especially New Jerseyans \u2014 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 \u2014 be it incompetence or something far more sinister \u2014 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.\u201d\n\nPfluger said Sherrill\u2019s \u201cthree page response to our letter is long on political attacks and short on answers,\u201d adding, \u201cAmericans 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\u2019s 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\u2019s trust.\u201d\n\nRep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) said, \u201cAs 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.\u201d\n\nRep. Nicholas Langworthy (R-NY) said, \u201cMore 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\u2019t let this be swept under the rug.\u201d\n\nRep. Tim Moore (R-NC) said, \u201cThe American people deserve transparency when the integrity of our elections is called into question. Instead of providing straightforward answers, we received Governor Sherrill\u2019s 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.\u201d", 1, "2026-08-26T05:33:32Z", "2026-08-26T05:34:56Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=415799"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.036074012517929, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}