The RNC has sued New Jersey and five counties under the National Voter Registration Act, alleging officials refused to turn over voter-roll records requested July 31. The suit names Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell and county election officials and seeks lists of removed voters and communications about registrants flagged as deceased, relocated or noncitizens. The dispute follows an MVC software error that improperly registered about 6,600 self-reported noncitizens; roughly 340 reportedly voted and about 5,100 registrations were removed for review.
RNC Sues New Jersey, Accuses Officials of Withholding Voter Records After MVC Registration Error
Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters (Getty)
Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters told Newsmax on Wednesday that New Jersey election officials are refusing to produce voter records the RNC requested, alleging the state "obviously has something to hide" after the party filed a federal lawsuit seeking the documents.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court, names Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell — who serves as secretary of state and oversees elections — and officials in Bergen, Hudson, Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties. The RNC filed the suit alongside the New Jersey Republican Party, U.S. Rep. Tom Kean Jr. and state Senate Minority Leader Anthony Bucco.
Grounds for the Suit
Brought under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), the complaint says state and county officials did not fully comply with records requests submitted July 31. The RNC says it seeks lists of voters removed from registration rolls and internal communications about registrants flagged as deceased, relocated or noncitizens.
The dispute stems from Gov. Mikie Sherrill's July disclosure that a software error at the state Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) had improperly registered about 6,600 people who had reported they were not U.S. citizens. Sherrill said roughly 340 of those newly registered individuals voted and that the votes did not change the outcome of any race. New Jersey officials have removed approximately 5,100 of the registrations and forwarded remaining cases to county election offices for review.
"It barely happened, but it did happen. And now they're concealing the truth," Gruters said on "Ed Henry: The Big Take." "We're suing and we're going to continue to sue everywhere where they're obstructing justice."
Sherrill's spokesman, Steve Sigmund, responded that the governor is "working to clean up the voter rolls and protect our elections," and accused Republicans of following "the same Trump MAGA playbook." The New Jersey attorney general's office described the RNC's complaint as "a fishing expedition for the personal information of New Jersey voters."
Gruters characterized the lawsuit as part of a nationwide legal effort: he said the RNC currently pursues more than 160 active lawsuits related to election matters, employs over 250 staffers focused on election integrity across 30 states, and has increased its poll-worker recruitment compared with the 2024 cycle.
What Happens Next
The case will proceed in federal court, where judges will consider whether the NVRA requires New Jersey and its counties to provide the records the RNC requested and whether any exemptions or privacy concerns apply. Both sides are framing the matter as central to election transparency and security: Republicans emphasize access to voter-roll records, while state officials stress voter privacy and the need to correct administrative errors.
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