Atlantic County Clerk Says Voter Registration Errors Addressed, Assures Residents Mail Voting Will Continue

ATLANTIC COUNTY, N.J. — Atlantic County Clerk Joe Giralo says residents can continue to vote by mail in November despite concerns surrounding New Jersey's voter registration system and a software error that improperly registered approximately 6,600 people who had indicated they were not U.S. citizens.

Giralo addressed the controversy Monday, Sept. 21, during an appearance on Off The Press with Scott Cronick on News Talk 1400 and 92.3 WOND. Assemblyman Don Guardian, R-Atlantic, served as guest host.

The discussion comes as state officials continue investigating the registration error, which occurred during New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission transactions between June 2023 and June 2024.

Giralo said his understanding is that the affected registrations have been addressed through the state's voter registration system, while emphasizing the importance of transparency and restoring public confidence.

"I believe, Don, that, you know, transparency is very, very important when it comes to all of this," Giralo said.

What Happened With the 6,600 Registrations?

According to the Sherrill administration, a software error involving the Motor Vehicle Commission's automatic voter registration system caused approximately 6,600 individuals to be registered to vote despite indicating during their transactions that they were not U.S. citizens.

The individuals did not attest to being eligible to vote during those transactions, but the software transmitted their information for voter registration processing anyway.

The error occurred between June 2023 and June 2024, during the administration of former Gov. Phil Murphy.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill disclosed the problem in July and ordered an investigation into how the error occurred and why it was not fully addressed earlier.

In an Aug. 19 update, the administration reported that approximately 5,100 registrations had been placed in deleted status because the individuals were registered solely as a result of the software error and had no other registration or attestation of eligibility.

Another approximately 1,450 registrations were placed in rejected status pending additional review because those individuals had separate voter registrations, attestations or other records requiring further examination.

The state said individuals in rejected status would not be permitted to vote until their eligibility was verified.

State officials also reported that approximately 340 people newly registered through the error had voted.

Another approximately 220 affected individuals who voted had previous voter registrations or separate attestations indicating potential eligibility. Those cases were referred for additional review.

The figures do not establish that all affected individuals were ineligible at the time of voting or that every ballot cast by an affected individual was unlawful.

The state has not established that the affected ballots changed the outcome of an election.

Giralo Says State Took Action to Correct Records

During Monday's interview, Giralo said his understanding was that the affected registrations had been addressed through New Jersey's Statewide Voter Registration System.

He noted that the system had been temporarily unavailable while state officials worked on the problem.

"Those voters were removed out of the system," Giralo said, describing his understanding of the state's corrective actions.

He added that the changes occurred during a two-day period when election officials were unable to access the statewide system.

The state's more detailed accounting distinguishes between registrations that were deleted and those placed in rejected status pending additional review.

Giralo acknowledged that voter registration is not administered by the county clerk's office. In Atlantic County, the superintendent of elections oversees voter registration, while the county clerk is responsible for preparing ballots and administering other election-related functions.

Giralo said he hopes the software problem has been resolved and that election officials can move forward with confidence.

"We hope going forward, all election officials, that the glitch has been cleaned up and we go forward because the people of New Jersey certainly need transparent, clean, safe elections," he said.

Guardian Raises Concerns About Preventing Future Errors

Guardian questioned how the software error occurred and whether safeguards are now in place to prevent similar problems.

He also expressed concern about ensuring that eligible voters are not improperly prevented from participating in elections.

"I think the governor made the right choices. You don't want to overreact because we don't want to prevent people who could vote from not voting," Guardian said.

He emphasized that naturalized citizens and other eligible residents should not be discouraged from voting because of concerns surrounding the registration controversy.

Guardian said the state must determine what went wrong and take appropriate steps to prevent the problem from recurring.

Giralo said he had heard from individuals who described problems during their Motor Vehicle Commission transactions.

According to Giralo, some reported that the computer system would not allow them to proceed unless they selected a particular response to a registration question.

He characterized those accounts as evidence of a software problem.

The state's investigation remains responsible for determining the precise cause of the error and whether additional administrative failures contributed to the improper registrations.

The Sherrill administration has said it is replacing the software vendor involved in the registration process and reviewing additional safeguards.

Giralo: Atlantic County Will Continue Offering Mail Voting

Giralo also addressed questions from residents about whether voting by mail would remain available in the November election.

He said his office has received calls from people concerned about statements regarding potential restrictions on mail voting.

"I was the first county clerk in the state to say, it's happening. We will have vote-by-mail. It is safe. It is secure," Giralo said.

He emphasized that Atlantic County's election officials work together to administer the voting process.

"I can't speak about any other county, but I can speak about Atlantic County," he said.

Giralo said the county clerk's office, Board of Elections and superintendent of elections each have separate responsibilities intended to ensure that elections are conducted properly.

The county clerk prepares ballots and administers the vote-by-mail application process.

The Board of Elections oversees polling places, poll workers, the processing of returned mail ballots and other election operations.

The superintendent of elections is responsible for voter registration and the custody and distribution of voting machines.

Giralo said coordination among the three offices is essential to conducting a successful election.

Mail Ballot Drop Boxes Have Security Safeguards

Giralo also described the security procedures used for Atlantic County's ballot drop boxes.

The county has 20 ballot drop boxes where voters can return completed mail ballots.

Giralo said the boxes are locked, monitored by cameras and emptied by bipartisan teams.

"They are safe and secure," he said.

"They're safe and secure as they're locked. They're safe and secure as they're emptied by both a Democrat and a Republican. And they are all camera'd."

Voters can also return their completed ballots by mail or deliver them directly to the Atlantic County Board of Elections.

Giralo said the county is providing prepaid return postage for mail ballots in this election.

Residents who are uncertain whether they are registered to vote or have questions about requesting a mail ballot can contact the Atlantic County Clerk's Office at 609-625-4011.

Additional election information is available at www.atlanticcountyclerk.org.

November Election Approaching

New Jersey's general election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 13, and in-person early voting will run from Oct. 24 through Nov. 1.

Giralo said his office is preparing for the election and encouraged eligible residents to become familiar with their voting options.

The state investigation into the Motor Vehicle Commission registration error remains ongoing, with county election officials responsible for reviewing certain affected registrations.

Giralo said the priority for Atlantic County election officials is to maintain a voting process that is secure, transparent and accessible to eligible voters.

Atlantic County Clerk Joe Giralo discussed election administration during an appearance on Off The Press with Scott Cronick, guest-hosted by Assemblyman Don Guardian, on News Talk 1400 and 92.3 WOND on Monday, Sept. 21. The program airs Monday through Friday from 4 to 6 p.m.