Senator Sam Thompson (R-12) criticized a plan by Governor Phil Murphy and Assemblywoman Annette Quijano to give driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, as this legislation coupled with the recently enacted “motor voter” law would put elections at risk. Thompson said this new plan when combined with a mandate for all state agencies to automatically register to vote anyone who makes contact with their offices is a recipe for disaster.

“How can we ensure that illegal immigrants will not be automatically registered to vote when they go to the MVC to get the new driver’s licenses?” Thompson asked. “What legitimate safeguards are in place to prevent this from happening? This legislation may make it easier for non-citizens to illegally participate in local, state, and national elections, jeopardizing our free and fair voting process.”

According to the Pew Research Center, there are estimated to be 500,000 illegal immigrants residing in New Jersey.

A Rasmussen Report indicates an overwhelming majority of voting-eligible Americans believe that licenses should not be given to illegal immigrants in their state.

“Mandating automatic voter registration side by side with granting licenses to illegal immigrants will undoubtedly cause confusion and frustration at state agencies and lead to voter fraud,” Thomson added. “Gov. Murphy and Asw. Quijano are trying to pull the wool over our eyes. When we’re asking workers at understaffed agencies to do so much, it’s a virtual certainty that people who aren’t eligible to vote will slip through the cracks and be registered nonetheless.”

“It is no secret that the lack of efficiency at state agencies is a huge problem. Do we really want to make changes that will lead to voter fraud or make wait times even worse? For those looking to take advantage of the system, I reiterate my call for heightened penalties for voter fraud.”