New Jersey
South Jersey in the dark about noncitizen voter impact | Exclusive
Video: Gov. Mikie Sherrill works the crowd at World Cup watch party
Gov. Mikie Sherrill works the crowd during a visit to Soccerfest26, a World Cup watch party in Camden
New Jersey officials aren’t answering media requests to release details on where people erroneously registered to vote at Motor Vehicle Commission offices are living and, in some cases, where they voted.
On July 21 Gov. Mikie Sherrill disclosed problems with the MVC’s registration system. A week later she announced that the New Jersey Division of Elections was moving to remove more than 6,000 illegally registered voters.
As of July 31, however, the Sherrill Administration hasn’t publicly disclosed what specific areas are impacted and to what extent.
An email the Courier-Post sent to the governor’s office and the Division of Elections on July 30 requested breakdowns for Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Cumberland counties. There was no response. There also was no response to a similar email sent July 22.
State and county election officials met to discuss the MVC situation July 23, according to Stephanie Salvatore, Gloucester County’s superintendent of elections, and county officials were directed to refer all questions to the elections division. She added that county officials were told they will only be given information about their own voter rolls.
As of this week, Burlington, Cumberland, Camden, and Gloucester county elections officials said they haven’t received further information from the state.
“They will manage the purge and will notify us when they have further information,” Salvatore said in her email to the Courier-Post. “We will ensure to adhere to all instructions as they are received in the office.
“That being said, Gloucester County is one of the least diverse counties in the State, so I do not expect this to significantly impact our rolls. I am confident that the State will resolve the issue quickly.”
On July 30, the Courier-Post contacted the office of Maureen Bugdon, Atlantic County’s superintendent of elections and registrar, about its situation.
Bugdon’s office offered no information and referred the inquiry to the state. Her office didn’t respond to an earlier email seeking information.
A bill was introduced in the state Senate in May to prohibit the MVC from prompting noncitizens to register to vote. State Sen Michael Testa Jr., R-Cumberland, is a cosponsor.
On Aug. 3, Testa issued a call for members of the Legislature to reconvene for consideration of a bill introduced in January that calls for voters to produce some form of photo identification document at polling places.
Testa is the cosponsor of the bill, which was introduced by state Sen. James Holzapfel, R-Ocean, but it’s still sitting in a committee. It lists acceptable identifications as a New Jersey driver’s license, a New Jersey REAL ID card, a MVC “identification only” card or a United States passport.
“Governor Sherrill publicly stated that she supports voter ID requirements,” Testa stated in the announcement. “If that’s the case, there is no reason to wait until the Fall to get this done. The Legislature should immediately reconvene and send this bill to her desk. Republicans are ready to put this to a vote.”
A spokesman for the Senate Democratic Majority office said that it had no comment on Testa call for the Legislature to meet, beyond a July 21 statement from Senate President Nichols Scutari on the voter registration situation.
Scutari stated at that time that he was looking forward to an independent investigation the governor has endorsed.
“Once the independent investigation is complete, the Senate will review its findings and identify any necessary next steps,” he said.
The governor’s office also had no comment on Testa’s scall for a special session.
In a recent interview, Sherrill suggested that she could support tighter voter ID rules, but did not back the SAVE Act being pushed by U.S. President Donald Trump. She characterized that act as a form of voter suppression.
Asked about the situation in New Jersey, Sherrill spokesman Sean Higgins provided a general statement on voter registration.
“She (Sherrill) has already made voting more accessible by signing the John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act and expanded early voting in municipal elections,” Higgins wrote in an email. “Governor Sherrill supports the current rules requiring ID for voter registration and she is open to considering proposals to strengthen those to make sure we have the strongest, fairest elections in the nation.”
Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey almost four decades ago, concentrating on housing, politics, real estate, business, and development. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.
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A section of Route 22 in Bridgewater is among the places New Jersey motorcyclists fear most, according to a new national survey that examined the intersections and highway connections riders consider the most dangerous.
The study, conducted by personal injury law firm Bisnar Chase, surveyed 3,322 motorcyclists nationwide about the junctions, interchanges and merging areas where they feel most vulnerable to being hit by another driver.
Among the locations identified, a stretch of eastbound Route 22 near Bridge Street in Bridgewater ranked No. 34 nationally. Another New Jersey location, the intersection of Waverly Place and Newark Avenue in Elizabeth, ranked No. 28.
According to the survey, riders said Route 22 East near Bridge Street can be particularly stressful because motorists are often preparing for upcoming turns, exits or access roads. Drivers may change lanes unexpectedly, slow suddenly or focus on navigation decisions rather than nearby traffic, increasing the risk that a motorcycle could go unnoticed in a blind spot.
At the Elizabeth intersection, riders cited concerns about drivers pulling onto Newark Avenue and misjudging the speed or distance of an approaching motorcycle, leaving little time to react.
The New Jersey locations were the only two in the state to appear on the national ranking.
Nationally, the most feared location was the Golden Glades Interchange in Miami-Dade County, Florida, followed by the I-285 and I-85 interchange in Atlanta and the Bruckner Interchange in New York City’s Bronx borough.
The survey found that concerns about dangerous junctions are common among motorcyclists.
About 67% of riders said they have changed their usual route to avoid an interchange, intersection or merging area they consider unsafe. Another 61% reported experiencing a near miss at a junction, interchange or merge point.
Among the most common close calls reported were drivers pulling out without seeing a motorcycle, turning across a rider’s path or changing lanes into a motorcycle’s lane.
The study also found that 75% of riders feel at least somewhat anxious approaching complicated or heavily congested junctions.
An overwhelming 84% said they would support a public rating system that identifies potentially hazardous intersections and interchanges for motorcyclists.
“Motorcyclists often recognize a dangerous junction long before it appears on anyone else’s radar,” Brian Chase, managing partner of Bisnar Chase, said in a statement. “What is particularly concerning is that 61% of riders have already experienced a near miss and 67% have changed their route to avoid a location they consider unsafe.”
The findings suggest that for many riders, avoiding certain roads has become part of everyday trip planning, especially in locations where heavy traffic, multiple merging movements and limited visibility create added risks.
This story was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more.
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