NEW YORK, NY — Republican and Conservative nominee for New York State Comptroller Joseph Hernandez today demanded that Comptroller Tom DiNapoli immediately launch a statewide forensic audit of New York’s voter registration system after New Jersey admitted that approximately 6,600 noncitizens were registered to vote through its motor vehicle system because of a government error.
Hernandez said the revelation should send shockwaves through New York, where Governor Kathy Hochul and Albany Democrats enacted the Green Light Law, allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, even though New York also processes voter registrations through DMV transactions.
“If New Jersey can mistakenly register thousands of noncitizens to vote, why should New Yorkers believe it can’t happen here?” Hernandez said. “Government systems fail. Bureaucrats make mistakes. And that’s exactly why audits exist. New Yorkers should not be asked to blindly trust politicians who have repeatedly failed them.”
Hernandez said the burden is now on Albany to prove that New York’s voter rolls are accurate.
“Hochul and her Democrat counterparts have spent years dismantling safeguards in the name of politics,” Hernandez explained. “They handed out driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, expanded government bureaucracy, and now expect New Yorkers to simply take their word that our elections work perfectly. That’s not accountability, it’s arrogance.”
Hernandez blasted incumbent DiNapoli for failing to use the powers of his office to independently examine New York’s voter registration system.
“DiNapoli has been Comptroller for 19 years. If there is even the possibility that government failures could undermine confidence in our elections, where has he been?” Hernandez asked. “His job is not to issue press releases after another state exposes a problem. His job is to audit New York government before problems become scandals. Once again, New Yorkers have a watchdog who never barks.”
Hernandez called on DiNapoli to immediately conduct a comprehensive forensic audit of New York’s voter registration system, including the interaction between DMV records, automatic voter registration procedures, and the State Board of Elections, to verify that only eligible citizens are registered to vote and that sufficient safeguards exist to prevent ineligible registrations.
“As someone who legally immigrated to the United States, I take this personally,” Hernandez said. “My family came to America legally because we respected this country’s laws. We followed the legal process because American citizenship means something. The right to vote is one of the most sacred rights we have as Americans, and it must be protected.”
Hernandez said the issue is bipartisan and favored across the country.
“This isn’t about Republicans or Democrats,” Hernandez said. “It’s about whether New Yorkers can trust their own government. Election integrity is the foundation of our democracy. If government officials cannot prove our voter rolls are accurate, they have an obligation to audit them until the public has confidence.”
“As Comptroller, I won’t rubber-stamp Albany’s failures,” Hernandez concluded. “I will audit government aggressively, expose failures wherever they exist, and make sure New Yorkers never have to wonder whether politicians put politics ahead of protecting our elections.”