09/28/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/28/2026 14:51
Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-Morris, Passaic) is demanding answers from the Sherrill Administration about its continued refusal to release public records showing where self-identified noncitizens voted, saying the recent resignation of former Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State Dale Caldwell does not erase the administration's responsibility to provide answers to the public.
In July, the Sherrill Administration acknowledged that approximately 6,600 noncitizens were improperly registered to vote by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. State officials admitted that hundreds of those noncitizens subsequently cast ballots in multiple elections.
Senator Pennacchio has since issued two OPRA requests to the administration for information about which elections noncitizens voted in and where their ballots were cast. The administration has yet to provide any records.
"Dale Caldwell's resignation does not absolve the administration of its responsibility to provide answers about the noncitizen voting scandal. The person holding the office of Secretary of State may have changed, but the records and questions surrounding this scandal remain," said Senator Pennacchio. "New Jerseyans deserve a government that is laser-focused on accountability and transparency, not one consumed by scandals and secrecy."
Senator Pennacchio is also calling for a legislative hearing to ask Caldwell to answer questions about his role as Secretary of State while the voter registration issue was identified and investigated, and what records were available to his office concerning the noncitizens who voted.
"With less than two months until a critically important election, New Jersey voters cannot afford unanswered questions about the integrity of its voter rolls," Senator Pennacchio. "We need to get back to good government immediately, and that starts with transparency, accountability, and giving the public the facts."