New Jersey Voter List Issues
- Registered voters in New Jersey will choose a new governor on November 4.
- An urgent need exists to clean up the state's voter list, as highlighted by a report from the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF).
- PILF identified over 32,000 registration issues that could allow multiple votes.
Duplicate Registrations
- PILF found 14,059 duplicate registrations in New Jersey, with voters registered in multiple states.
- Notable duplicate registrations:
- Florida: 6,972 cases
- New York: 5,725 cases
- Pennsylvania: 925 cases
- The full scope of duplicates could be larger, as not all 50 states were considered.
Fictitious Birth Dates
- The report found 15,655 registrations with fictitious birth dates used as placeholders.
- Common fictitious birth date: January 1, 1800.
- Specific counties with issues:
- Essex County: 5,166 cases
- Passaic County: 2,108 cases
- Middlesex County: 1,928 cases
- 85% of these registrations are active voters.
- PILF corrected birth dates for a random sample of 10 registrations quickly.
Same Address Duplicates
- 2,507 duplicate registrations were found at the same address.
- Examples include different names with the same birth date and address highlighting potential voting irregularities.
- Placeholder dates contribute significantly to the duplication issue.
Response from State Officials
- PILF reached out to New Jersey's lieutenant governor and secretary of state, Tahesha Way, on July 16 with its findings.
- Improvements noted in the same-address duplication problem from 8,200 in 2022 to a lower number currently.
- The letter indicated that addressing placeholder data could improve de-duplication efforts.
Upcoming Election Context
- Governor Phil Murphy, unable to run for reelection due to term limits, leaves the position open.
- Candidates running for the vacancy include:
- Democrat U. S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill
- Republican Jack Ciattarelli, a former assemblyman.
- The state has not officially commented on cleaning the voter rolls before the election.
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