Three Republican state legislators are demanding an immediate investigation into how a 19-year-old noncitizen became a registered voter in New Jersey, raising questions about whether problems at the Motor Vehicle Commission continued beyond the period state officials previously disclosed.
State Sen. Declan O’Scanlon (R-Little Silver) and Assembly members Victoria Flynn (R-Holmdel) and Gerry Scharfenberger (R-Middletown) sent a letter Monday to Acting Secretary of State Shirley Emehelu seeking an investigation into the registration of Ilaria Giugliano, a lawful permanent resident who reportedly discovered that she was listed as an active voter despite never claiming U.S. citizenship.
Alex Zdan of the New York Sun, a former News 12 New Jersey political reporter who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in the June 2026 primary, reported the issue on Friday.
According to Zdan’s report, Giugliano visited the Freehold MVC office in September 2024, on her 17th birthday, to obtain a driver’s license. She said she took precautions to avoid identifying herself as a citizen or registering to vote.
But voter registration records reportedly show that she became an active voter in September 2025, when she turned 18. She has received sample ballots for multiple elections, including the November 3 general election.
Giugliano said she has never voted and is pursuing U.S. citizenship.
The case follows the Sherrill administration’s disclosure that approximately 6,600 noncitizens were improperly registered through an MVC error between June 2023 and June 2024, and that roughly 340 cast ballots.
The lawmakers questioned whether Giugliano’s registration indicates that the problem continued after June 2024 or resulted from a delayed activation of an earlier registration.
They want Emehelu to determine how the registration occurred, whether Giugliano remains on the voter rolls, how many additional improper registrations have been discovered, and whether safeguards implemented by the state are working.
The legislators also requested an independently verifiable audit of MVC-generated voter registrations and information about protections for noncitizens whose immigration status or naturalization applications could be affected by government errors.
They asked for written acknowledgment within five business days and, if the investigation cannot be completed within that period, an interim report.
“Protecting the integrity of our elections and protecting law-abiding noncitizens from the consequences of government mistakes are not competing priorities,” the lawmakers wrote. “Both are fundamental responsibilities of the State of New Jersey.”
RELATED ARTICLES
-
January 8, 2025 -
-
