New Jersey Republicans are intensifying calls for a sweeping bipartisan investigation after reports emerged that roughly 75,000 noncitizens had been summoned for jury duty through state databases, broadening a controversy that initially centered on automatic voter registration at the Motor Vehicle Commission. State Sen. Kristin Corrado, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said she repeatedly warned officials that the system lacked adequate safeguards but was routinely dismissed.
Corrado told Fox News Digital that the administration's internal review is too narrowly focused on what they call a motor vehicle “glitch” and likely fails to capture the full scope of the problem. “We didn't just reach out to the Motor Vehicle Commissioner. We reached out to secretary of state. We were not satisfied with the answers that we got,” Corrado said. “We did not think that was acceptable or satisfactory or enough of a safeguard.” She described the previous approach as an “honor system” where people were expected to self-certify their citizenship, a method she and other Republicans found insufficient.
The discovery of thousands of noncitizens being summoned for jury duty, which draws from Motor Vehicle Commission, taxation, and elections department lists, has added urgency to the Republican demands. Senate Minority Leader Anthony Bucco and other GOP lawmakers are now calling for a special bipartisan investigation with subpoena power. “We need to get on this quickly because we have elections coming up that are critical, that could be slim margins. And also you want the people of New Jersey to believe in the integrity of their voter rolls and their elections,” said state Sen. Declan O'Scanlon, who called the motor-voter revelations the “tip of the iceberg.”
Senate President Nicholas Scutari, a Democrat, responded by defending the governor’s ongoing independent investigation and said he would wait for its conclusion before considering a legislative probe. “A healthy democracy depends on the security of our voter registration systems and the stewardship of the individuals entrusted with ensuring our elections are free, fair, and accessible,” Scutari said. “Governor Sherrill deserves credit for being transparent about these failures and launching an independent investigation.” Corrado expressed skepticism, arguing that the investigation is too limited in scope and that scrutiny must extend far beyond the initial area of discovery.
Former Gov. Phil Murphy’s office said he had no knowledge of the issues at the MVC, a claim Corrado said she finds “hard to believe.” She added that it is “incredibly troubling that the governor did not know what his cabinet members were doing or what was going on right underneath him.” The controversy has also sparked legislative action. Corrado and Bucco introduced a bill to eliminate motor-voter registration and implement voter ID requirements along with regular audits of election data systems. “New Jerseyans need more than just excuses and finger pointing, they deserve action, and there are commonsense steps we can take right now,” Bucco said. “Get the MVC out of the voter registration business.”
Peter McAleer, a spokesman for the state court system, explained that the jury system draws from the MVC as well as taxation and elections department lists. He noted that approximately 75,000 people per year are disqualified from jury service based solely on lack of U.S. citizenship, and that prospective jurors are asked about their citizenship through a qualification questionnaire. The ongoing scandal has further eroded trust in New Jersey’s election systems, with Republicans vowing to press for a full-scale investigation and Democrats defending the governor’s response. The outcome of the internal probe could shape the political landscape ahead of upcoming elections.
