Thinking about Elections

WOULD THE SAVE ACT HAVE PREVENTED THE NJ NONCITIZEN VOTER SNAFU?

In New Jersey, a computer software error was responsible for mistakenly registering about 6,600 people to vote 2023-2024 even though these people affirmed they were noncitizens. These people didn’t set out to break the law. Investigations show that the fault lies with a poorly designed computer system that overrode the truthful information they entered. The same kind of software glitch has resulted in erroneous registrations in several other states.

The setting for these mistakes is the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) where people using the Department’s portals to get their driver’s licenses are, if eligible, offered the opportunity to register to vote. These computer programs are typically designed by people and agencies without expertise in election administration. This is clearly a deeply flawed approach. Getting the details right matters. Experienced election administrators must have a lead role in designing, testing, and maintaining these systems, and states must provide adequate funding for it.

The SAVE Act, which would require people to provide documented proof of citizenship to register to vote, would not have prevented noncitizens from being registered to vote in NJ because the problem was a poorly designed computer system. In NJ, 6,600 people all selected “noncitizen” while conducting their business at the DMV. The software changed that, and they ended up registered to vote.

https://political.org/2026/07/31/new-jerseys-noncitizen-voter-roll-scandal-exposes-25-year-pattern-of-registration-failures-and-a-federal-reporting-gap/