Amore requests DMV audit after New Jersey mistakenly registered noncitizens to vote

Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore has asked the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to audit records covering the first two years of the state’s contract with the company now under scrutiny for a software glitch in New Jersey where 6,600 noncitizens were registered to vote.

Amore’s request aims to confirm if any noncitizens who obtained identification cards or drivers licenses in Rhode Island between 2017 and 2019 were mistakenly registered to vote at the same time. The years span the first two years of the DMV’s current transaction system developed by Idemia Identity & Security USA LLC. 

Idemia is the same company behind the motor voter system in New Jersey where Gov. Mikie Sherrill revealed July 21 that about 6,600 noncitizens were registered to vote between June 2023 and June 2024 because of a malfunction at the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission. About 400 noncitizens went on to cast ballots in New Jersey elections, Sherrill said.

Amore says no signs noncitizens were registered to vote in Rhode Island

Amore’s call for an audit was done “to help maintain Rhode Islanders’ trust” in the state’s election systems, he said in a statement Friday.

“Rhode Islanders deserve clarity on this issue,” Amore said.

A spokesperson for the Rhode Island DMV acknowledged a request for comment but had no information on if and when an audit would start.

Idemia, a French-based biometrics and cryptography company, has denied responsibility, saying the state of New Jersey is responsible for the voter registration errors.

Idemia has been employed as a vendor for credentialing and software services by the Rhode Island DMV since June 2002. A company spokesperson did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the state’s potential audit.

Rhode Island Department of State officials met Friday with DMV employees and Idemia representatives, who demonstrated how the transaction system works. Amore said the demonstration confirmed that noncitizens applying for a DMV credential are not offered the opportunity to register to vote.

Noncitizens in Rhode Island are eligible for REAL ID and, since 2023, can apply for driver privilege cards and permits. Driver privilege cards which look like a state driver’s license, are not an eligible eligible form of ID for voting in the state..

Amore noted the DMV has conducted a regular audit of a randomized selection of driver records to ensure that database entries match paper records since 2019.

“To date, over 5,000 records have been audited, with no errors detected,” Amore said. “I believe strongly in our systems, processes, and the rule of law. And I welcome the opportunity to have direct dialogue with any elected official, community group, or voter who wishes to express their concerns.”

Amore’s call for an audit comes after he and other election officials across the country received a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice warning they could face criminal charges if they fail to prevent noncitizens from voting in the upcoming midterm elections.

Federal authorities have previously sought access to Rhode Island’s full voter rolls, which Amore denied. Instead, he offered the U.S. Department of Justice a copy of the state’s publicly available voter list as a substitute. The Trump administration responded with a lawsuit last December.

U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy on April 17 denied the Justice Department’s demands for an unredacted copy of Rhode Island’s statewide voter registration. That ruling was appealed by the Trump administration on June 4, though the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston has not yet taken up the case.

“The RI Department of State adheres to all federal and State elections laws and continues to ensure that Rhode Island’s elections are secure, fair, and accessible,” Amore said Friday.