So far as I am aware, this is by far the biggest instance of unlawful noncitizen voting in the US unearthed in the past generation, so it may matter that it seems to be widely agreed that the mistaken registration did not result from intentional misconduct by the persons added to the rolls, the state, or its software vendor. Damningly, however, when the error was found and the software fixed, the state “never notified affected residents or removed their names from the rolls,” according to the NYT account. Incoming Gov. Mikie Sherrill at a press conference called this “unacceptable.” That’s for sure.
To get another issue on the table, motor-voter—using residents’ DMV interactions either to offer them the chance to register to vote or, as in New Jersey’s case, to affirmatively register them unless they choose to opt out—has been prone to harmful glitches since its introduction. In a 2024 preview of the New Jersey debacle, an Oregon investigation found 1,617 improper registrations, with “human error and a poorly designed computer program” blamed, of which officials say ten persons went on to vote. At the same time, other glitches may work to impede legitimately eligible voters from timely and accurate registration in a manner that increases their likelihood of running into paperwork hassles when they try to vote.
walter-olson-more-on-the-new-jersey-voter-registration-fiasco
