New Jersey State Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-Morris, Passaic) released the following statement regarding his first OPRA request from July 23 seeking government records that would show, among other things, which elections self-declared noncitizens have voted.
The request also sought records showing the extent to which other noncitizens have been registered to vote and how that is being allowed to happen. The Secretary of State's Office requested three extensions to deadlines to produce the records, and then abruptly denied the request with claims the request was too broad.
"For almost three years, with eight of those months during the Sherrill Administration, people in the Secretary of State's Office have known that 6,600 people were registered to vote after declaring themselves to be noncitizens. And for the past month and a half, the Sherrill Administration has refused to produce public records in their possession showing in which elections they voted, and whether any tied or close elections were swung as a result.
"You would think the Sherrill Administration and the Secretary of State's Office would live up to claims of being transparent and finally release the records. They have allowed, or maybe directed, the government office that has known for three years that noncitizens have been voting to hide from the press and public where those noncitizens have been voting. The secrecy is like dumping gas on public distrust that rightly runs deep, and they have no one to blame but themselves.
"The Governor needs to stop insinuating no local elections have turned on noncitizen voting. The Parsippany Mayor’s race was decided by 70 votes from thousands cast. Did these illegal voters have an effect on the outcome? My constituents have a right to know. She needs to order the Secretary of State to release the records that will prove if she was right, or if she's been filling the room with hot air. Why is she protecting the corrupt agency that created a mess and is now stonewalling the release of public records to the press and public? It's Stockholm Syndrome at best, or something much worse."
Noncitizens almost certainly voted in local elections over the past three years that resulted in ties or where margins of victory were by as little as a single vote. The Governor has insinuated no election results were impacted by noncitizens without ever producing a single government record that would back up that claim. Several elections resulted in ties or single vote margins of victory.
On August 28, Senator Pennacchio submitted a new OPRA request — this time limiting it to the public records that show where noncitizens (without names or private information) have been voting. Yesterday, the Secretary of State's Office asked for an almost three-week extension of time to produce a single government record in their possession showing where they have voted.
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