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A French software company, Idemia, is at the center of a voter registration controversy in New Jersey, where 6,600 non-citizens were mistakenly added to voter rolls. Idemia denies responsibility, asserting that the issue arose from the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission's (MVC) failure to exclude non-citizens from voting.
Governor Mikie Sherrill announced last week that the registration of non-citizens occurred between June 2023 and June 2024, with about 400 individuals casting ballots. Sherrill blamed a software glitch, but Idemia maintains that the system operated as per the state's specifications. According to New Jersey Monitor, Idemia stated that the MVC failed to implement automatic exclusions for non-citizens until June 2024.
The controversy has led to calls for a bipartisan investigation, with Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia questioning why only Idemia's MVC contract is under scrutiny. Idemia, which holds multiple contracts with New Jersey, including for fingerprinting services, insists that the state is responsible for verifying voter eligibility.
The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the incident, and The Jersey Vindicator reports that the state corrected the issue in June 2024 but did not remove improperly registered voters until recently.
Governor Sherrill has ordered an independent investigation and has hired a law firm to examine the situation. Meanwhile, USA Today notes that Idemia claims it followed New Jersey's written specifications, which included a flawed sequence of questions leading to the registration error.