RNC sues New Jersey election officials over alleged withheld voter roll records

FIRST ON FOX – The Republican National Committee (RNC) and state GOP leaders filed a lawsuit Tuesday against New Jersey’s top election official and authorities in five counties, alleging they failed to produce federally mandated voter roll maintenance records and aiming to force transparency for the American people.

"The RNC exposed noncitizens on New Jersey's voter rolls," RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Now, election officials are hiding the records that would tell voters how it happened. The RNC won't stand for it."

While officials did produce some documents, Tuesday's new lawsuit alleges that New Jersey’s chief election official and county authorities in Bergen, Hudson, Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties have continued to withhold key records that federal law requires to be made public.

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"Garden State voters deserve the truth, and we're taking these left-wing officials to court to demand answers," Gruters' statement added.

The legal action follows the RNC's initial discovery of hundreds of noncitizens on the state's voter registries, as first reported by Fox News Digital in early June.

The June report noted that migrants seeking documented naturalization had self-attested to be noncitizens, while being found to have voted in past elections.

Also, through investigations of jury duty evasion, some New Jersey residents claimed to lack U.S. citizenship only to be ultimately found to be registered voters.

The RNC sued the New Jersey secretary of state in July over nonresidents – and in some case noncitizens – being permitted to vote in state elections.

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While Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill acknowledged the illegal voter registrations, Republicans argue that state Democrats have spent months dodging accountability and have failed to explain how the noncitizens were added to the rolls in the first place.

Seeking to determine how the registrations occurred and whether ineligible voters were subsequently removed, the RNC sent legal notices demanding answers and requesting voter roll maintenance documents.

The RNC stated the lawsuit aims to force transparency and protect the ballot box. The withheld records are also of interest in Washington, where congressional investigators are currently seeking answers regarding the same voter registration failures.

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This legal challenge is part of a broader, nationwide campaign by the RNC's multimillion-dollar election integrity unit ahead of the midterm elections. The committee has sent similar requests for voter roll maintenance records to 48 states to ensure voting registries are being properly maintained across the country.

It also builds on the RNC's prior legal actions in New Jersey to challenge election procedures, which include a previous lawsuit against the New Jersey secretary of state over alleged unlawful voting practices.

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Joining the RNC and the New Jersey Republican Party (NJGOP) as plaintiffs in the current lawsuit are Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., and New Jersey Senate Republican Leader Anthony Bucco.

"New Jerseyans deserve complete transparency following Gov. Sherrill's admission that over 6,600 noncitizens were added to our voter rolls. Fair elections require total public accountability," Kean Jr. said. "Election officials must immediately release these records, so voters get the complete truth."