Rep. Jeff Van Drew says he may subpoena New Jersey officials after a House hearing on 6,600 noncitizens registered to vote produced no testimony from Gov. Mikie Sherrill's administration.
The South Jersey Republican, who chairs the House Judiciary oversight subcommittee, said after Tuesday's hearing that he will meet Chairman Jim Jordan to discuss next steps, which could include subpoenas. No one involved in New Jersey elections testified, and neither did anyone from IDEMIA, the software vendor Sherrill blames. The company disputes the state's account, and Van Drew said it is cooperating with his probe.
The state says a Motor Vehicle Commission software failure sent people who answered "no" to the citizenship question into the voter registration system between June 2023 and June 2024. About 6,600 were registered and roughly 400 voted. The state has not said which elections they voted in. Van Drew said his requests for that information have gone unanswered, and he noted that several New Jersey municipal races were decided by a handful of votes. He also accused the state of knowing about the problem since 2024. "In political terms, that's called a cover-up," he said.
Witnesses backed his case for tighter rules. Election lawyer Jason Sena said the verification that should have caught the registrations did not happen, and Josh Findlay of the America First Policy Institute said the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register, would have prevented it. The bill has passed the House several times but stalled in the Senate.
Democrats countered. Sherrill spokesman Darwin Pham called the hearing political theater, and Stephen Richer, a Republican and former Maricopa County recorder, said the episode was a software problem and that noncitizen voting is rare.
Van Drew's meeting with Jordan will decide whether the election-by-election records he says the state has not provided are demanded by subpoena.
