{"id":2672010,"date":"2026-09-28T15:37:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T19:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignfeds-charge-two-with-illegally-voting-months-after-6600-noncitizens-found-on-nj-voter-rolls\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T15:39:56","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T19:39:56","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignfeds-charge-two-with-illegally-voting-months-after-6600-noncitizens-found-on-nj-voter-rolls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignfeds-charge-two-with-illegally-voting-months-after-6600-noncitizens-found-on-nj-voter-rolls\/","title":{"rendered":"Feds Charge Two With Illegally Voting Amid NJ Voter Roll Fiasco"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignfeds-charge-two-with-illegally-voting-months-after-6600-noncitizens-found-on-nj-voter-rolls%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2672010&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article reports on the charges against two noncitizens in New Jersey for illegal voting and false statements related to their U.S. citizenship applications. Patrick Terrence Reid, a Jamaican national, and Danubis Bernat, a Venezuelan national, allegedly voted in multiple federal elections despite claiming on their applications that they had never registered or voted before. The charges highlight the issue of noncitizens voting illegally, which is prevented mainly by an honor system requiring applicants to certify their citizenship under penalty of perjury.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, about 6,600 noncitizens were found registered to vote due to a software error in new Jersey, which the governor attributed to a technical glitch. Although efforts have been made to remove these noncitizens from voter rolls, concerns remain about the effectiveness of current safeguards. The article advocates for legislation like the SAVE America Act, which would impose stricter proof of citizenship requirements for voter registration, to prevent such illegal voting and enhance election integrity. The piece emphasizes that stronger laws could help address vulnerabilities in the voting system and prevent noncitizens from participating illegally.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Vote_Here_-_Election_Polling_Place_(50565230221).jpg\">Tony Webster\/Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0\/\">CC BY 2.0<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/28\/feds-charge-two-with-illegally-voting-months-after-6600-noncitizens-found-on-nj-voter-rolls\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Feds Charge Two With Illegally Voting Months After 6600 Noncitizens Found On NJ Voter Rolls&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/28\/feds-charge-two-with-illegally-voting-months-after-6600-noncitizens-found-on-nj-voter-rolls\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Feds Charge Two With Illegally Voting Months After 6600 Noncitizens Found On NJ Voter Rolls&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/28\/feds-charge-two-with-illegally-voting-months-after-6600-noncitizens-found-on-nj-voter-rolls\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/28\/feds-charge-two-with-illegally-voting-months-after-6600-noncitizens-found-on-nj-voter-rolls\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Feds Charge Two With Illegally Voting Months After 6600 Noncitizens Found On NJ Voter Rolls&#038;body=New Jersey\u00a0is one\u00a0of 30 states the Department of Justice has sued for refusing to turn over voter rolls to be &#039;cross-checked effectively for improper registrations.&#039;%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/28\/feds-charge-two-with-illegally-voting-months-after-6600-noncitizens-found-on-nj-voter-rolls\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\">                     <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); pfTrackEvent(&#039;Feds Charge Two With Illegally Voting Months After 6600 Noncitizens Found On NJ Voter Rolls&#039;); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &#038; Email\">                     <span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span>                     <\/a>                 <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div class=\"pf-content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two noncitizens in New Jersey were charged with \u201cillegally voting in a federal election and making false statements while applying for U.S. citizenship,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uscis.gov\/newsroom\/news-releases\/aliens-charged-with-illegally-voting-and-making-false-statements-while-applying-for-us-citizenship\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according<\/a> to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), in another example of the thing that never happens reportedly happening yet again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sixty-one year-old Jamaican national Patrick Terrence Reid and 49-year-old Danubis Bernat, a Venezuelan national, \u201cwere each charged by separate complaints with voting by an alien in a federal election and making false statements while applying for U.S. citizenship,\u201d USCIS said in a statement. Both Reid and Bernat allegedly attested they were citizens when registering to vote.<\/p>\n<div id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-877374060\" class=\"d-flex justify-content-center fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 fdrlst__b89e9-entity-placement\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Noncitizen voting in federal elections is illegal, but the only thing standing between our free and fair elections and a noncitizen voting is a tiny square box on a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >federal registration form requiring applicants<\/a> to attest under penalty of perjury that they are telling the truth about their citizenship status. Notably, that honor system appeared to have failed when Reid and Bernat applied. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reid allegedly voted in both the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections in person, and again in the 2020 and 2024 presidential contests via mail-in ballots. Bernat allegedly voted in person in the 2024 election. Both Reid and Bernat allegedly claimed on their citizenship applications that \u201cthey had never registered to vote or voted in any federal elections.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The arrests come just weeks after it was revealed that roughly 6,600 noncitizens were registered to vote in the state. Democrat Gov. Mikie Sherrill <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/GovSherrillNJ\/status\/2079602942722662725?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> the illegal registrations (which occurred before she took office) were the result of a \u201csoftware error\u201d that \u201cled to the registration of roughly 6,600 people who indicated that they were not U.S. citizens between June 2023 and June 2024. \u2026 These individuals answered \u2018no\u2019 when asked on a keypad whether they were a U.S. citizen when applying for drivers\u2019 licenses and identification cards, but through no fault of their own, the system registered them anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A preliminary analysis showed hundreds of noncitizens voted, according to Sherrill. The governor claims to have ordered the noncitizens removed from the voter rolls, but the New Jersey Department of State <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/24\/new-jersey-dem-governor-pledges-transparency-blocks-election-docs-release\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">refused<\/a> to fulfill The Federalist\u2019s request for the noncitizens\u2019 voter records or to disclose the breakdown of their political party affiliation. Sherrill also refused to turn that information over to the Department of Justice. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sherrill\u2019s announcement came after <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/12\/hundreds-of-noncitizens-found-on-new-jersey-voter-rolls-after-senate-gop-helps-block-save-america-act\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Federalist<\/a> previously reported that at least eight of the state\u2019s 21 counties\u2019 voter rolls showed noncitizens were registered to vote, with several noncitizens stating they did \u201cnot understand\u201d how they became \u201cregistered through the Department of Motor Vehicles, allegedly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">New Jersey <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/justice-department-sues-five-additional-states-failure-produce-voter-rolls\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">is one<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/justice-department\/attorney-general-todd-blanche-doj-state-voter-rolls-supreme-court-rcna592721\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">30 states<\/a> the Department of Justice has sued for refusing to turn over voter rolls to be \u201ccross-checked effectively for improper registrations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But none of this would be a problem or a concern if Democrats would support critical election integrity legislation. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans have tried \u2014 to an extent \u2014 to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, which would amend the 1993 National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) to require documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration, as well as voter ID to vote. Currently the NVRA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/crt\/national-voter-registration-act-1993-nvra\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">requires<\/a> automatic voter registration at DMVs and \u2014 due to a bad Supreme Court ruling in <em><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/05\/13\/without-the-save-act-the-only-thing-keeping-foreigners-from-voting-is-the-honor-system\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona<\/a> <\/em>\u2014 prohibits states from requiring documentary proof of citizenship for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/official-election-data-drops-2020-bombshell-thousands-of-ballots-may-have-been-illegally-cast\/\" title=\"Official Election Data Drops 2020 Bombshell: Thousands of Ballots May Have Been ...ly Cast\">federal voter registration forms<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Passing the SAVE America Act would fix the gaps in the NVRA and allow states like New Jersey to breathe a sigh of relief since they\u2019d no longer need to worry about noncitizens erroneously ending up on voter rolls \u2014 and even voting. Noncitizens would not be able to register to vote unless they provided <em>actual<\/em> proof of citizenship rather than merely checking a box \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno\u201d under penalty of perjury \u2014 which is what led to Reid and Bernat allegedly voting illegally in several elections.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Brianna Lyman<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/briannalyman2\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@briannalyman2<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/briannalyman\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags no-print bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/arizona-v-inter-tribal-council-of-arizona\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Department of Justice<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/doj\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">DOJ<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/federal-voter-registration-form\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Federal Voter Registration Form<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/mail-in-voting\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">mail-in voting<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/mikie-sherrill\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Mikie Sherrill<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/motor-voter-laws\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">motor voter laws<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/national-voter-registration-act\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">National Voter Registration Act<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/new-jersey\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">New Jersey<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/noncitizen-voters\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">noncitizen voters<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/noncitizen-voting\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">noncitizen voting<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/nvra\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">NVRA<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/save-america-act\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">SAVE America Act<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/u-s-citizenship-and-immigration-services\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/uscis\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">USCIS<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/voter-id\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">voter ID<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/voter-registration\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">voter registration<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two noncitizens in New Jersey face charges for illegal voting and false citizenship claims<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2672011,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Vote_Here_-_Election_Polling_Place_50565230221-e1790619694501.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[34382,36411,36406,86375,40526],"class_list":["post-2672010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-election-security","tag-federal-charges","tag-illegal-voting","tag-nj-voter-fraud","tag-voter-suppression"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Vote_Here_-_Election_Polling_Place_50565230221-e1790619694501.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2672010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2672010"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2672010\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2672015,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2672010\/revisions\/2672015"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2672011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2672010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2672010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2672010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}