Blog- It’s really an Op-Ed
Gov. Mikie Sherrill wants New Jersey to believe this was just a “serious software error.”
That’s the story.
I’m not buying it.
According to the governor, approximately 6,600 people who identified themselves as noncitizens were registered to vote between June 2023 and June 2024 because of a software failure. She says roughly 400 of them voted.
Then, in the same breath, she told us Donald Trump has “zero credibility” on election integrity.
The irony is impossible to ignore.
Let’s use a little common sense.
New Jersey’s automatic voter registration law has been in effect since 2018.
So why did this mysterious software problem supposedly exist only from June 2023 to June 2024?
What magically changed?
Was there a brand-new system?
A software update?
A configuration change?
Nobody seems interested in answering those questions.
Instead, we’re told to blame the software.
Specifically, IDEMIA—one of the largest biometric identity companies on Earth.
Think about that for a second.
This is a company trusted to help governments issue passports, driver’s licenses, biometric IDs, and secure identity systems around the world.
Yet we’re supposed to believe they suddenly forgot how to distinguish between someone who answered “No, I’m not a U.S. citizen” and someone eligible to register to vote?
Maybe.
Or maybe there’s a lot more to this story than we’ve been told.
Even IDEMIA isn’t simply taking the blame.
The company has publicly stated that its system transmits information, but that New Jersey’s Division of Elections is ultimately responsible for validating voter eligibility before registration is finalized.
That doesn’t sound like a company saying, “Yep, this was all us.”
It sounds like a company reminding everyone there’s another layer of government responsible for checking eligibility.
And now?
The walls are starting to close in.
The Department of Homeland Security has been scrutinizing New Jersey’s voter rolls.
The Department of Justice has formally demanded records, ordered relevant records preserved, and opened a federal investigation.
This isn’t social media speculation anymore.
It’s a federal matter.
Here’s my opinion.
I don’t believe New Jersey residents are getting the full story.
Maybe the governor’s explanation is exactly right.
Maybe it isn’t.
That’s what investigations are for.
But if everything is exactly as Gov. Sherrill says, then proving it should be easy.
Release the deployment timeline.
Release the communications.
Release the contracts.
Release the testing documents.
Release the audit trail.
If a “serious software error” is responsible, the records should show it.
Instead, we’re getting a press conference, finger-pointing, and a promise that the vendor will be replaced.
Forgive me if I don’t find that satisfying.
Transparency shouldn’t be difficult.
If the facts support the governor’s version of events, let the facts speak.
Until then, I’ll remain skeptical.
Because when government asks the public to simply trust the explanation while federal investigators are demanding answers, trust isn’t something you give.
It’s something you earn.Jagaloon.