New Jersey Republicans are calling for a bipartisan investigation with subpoena power into the state's motor voter controversy, which has exposed thousands of noncitizens on sensitive systems.
Sen. Kristin Corrado, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said she repeatedly warned state officials that automatic voter registration lacked adequate safeguards, but her concerns were dismissed.
Corrado told Fox News Digital that the motor voter controversy reinforced Republican demands for a bipartisan investigation, warning that the administration's review was too narrowly focused and likely failed to capture the full scope of the problem.
"We didn't just reach out to the Motor Vehicle Commissioner. We reached out to Secretary of State [at the time, Lt. Gov. Taheshia Way]. We were not satisfied with the answers that we got from the motor vehicle commissioner, which I can tell you were basically, 'we have signs up, they're put on notice… that if you're not a citizen, you can't register to vote'."
Corrado and other Republicans are now demanding a bipartisan special investigation with subpoena power, citing concerns about the administration's review being too limited in scope.
Senate Minority Leader Anthony Bucco and State Joint Budget Committee ranking member Declan O'Scanlon have also expressed concerns about the issue, calling for a wider investigation and pointing to the recent revelation that roughly 75,000 noncitizens had been summoned for jury duty through state databases.
Corrado pointed to her repeated requests over the years for clarity on the security of the voting systems and how she was rebuffed as proof the probe needs to be substantial.
Senate President Nicholas Scutari has credited what the governor is already doing and said he would hold fire until the governor's probe finishes.
State Joint Budget Committee ranking member Declan O'Scanlon agreed the scandal validated GOP concerns, saying that the people in charge for so long said this absolutely was impossible, but Republicans were right.
Corrado, Bucco, and O'Scanlon have also dropped a bill to eliminate motor-voter and implement voter-ID and regular audits of election data systems.
State Sen. Joe Pennacchio, who recently requested additional scrutiny from Attorney General Todd Blanche, said the 75,000 figure is a red-flag that Trenton can't police itself and called for the U.S. Attorney General's office to take charge.
