♪ >> From NJ PBS Studios, this is "NJ Spotlight News" with Briana Vannozzi.

>> Hello, and thanks for joining us, and happy National New Jersey Day.

I'm Joanna Gagis.

Briana Vannozzi is off.

Coming up, we look at the latest news from Washington, including a proposal to fund the conflict in Iran.

And later, summer fun can also mean summer food insecurity for some families.

We talk with the head of an organization that's working to keep kids and families fed during these warmer months.

But first, we bring you the latest on New Jersey's automatic voter registration error, and we talk with state Senator Kristen Peratto about the Republicans' calls to overhaul New Jersey's voting registration process.

Major funding for NJ Spotlight News is provided in part by NJM Insurance Group, serving the insurance needs of residents and businesses for more than 100 years.

New Jersey's voter registration process continues to be under scrutiny after Governor Mikey Sherrill disclosed last week that a software error at the Motor Vehicle Commission wrongly registered about 6,600 non-citizens, and nearly 400 of those registered actually voted in elections.

Now, Sherrill says she immediately ordered an independent investigation into the matter and is replacing the vendor that she says is responsible for the error.

She said this first came to light during the Murphy administration that never came public with the news, but Governor Murphy disputed that claim recently saying he first learned of the problem when Sheryl announced it.

It leaves many questions unanswered about who knew and who should have known.

Meanwhile, Republicans want automatic voter registration ended, among other changes.

We're joined now by State Senator Kristen Carado, who's helping to lead that push.

She joins us as part of our Under the Dome series.

Senator Carado, thanks so much for taking some Thank you all for taking some time to talk to us.

Obviously, election security is still top of mind for everyone right now.

What's your response to what we learned last week about this issue of non-citizens registered to vote?

So, we always had concerns about motor vehicle being in charge of automatic voter registration for a number of reasons.

It is hands down one of the agencies that we get the most complaints about.

So, giving them this important task was caused for concern.

And over the years, we have had complaints from voters, whether it's duplicate registrations, getting their party affiliation changed, being knocked out when they were rightfully registered.

They're complaints that we've had all along.

And we tried to address them as they came up.

But when we heard this information, it kind of confirmed our worst fears that the way the program was set up, the automatic votes and registration, it was allowing this to happen, non-citizens being registered to vote.

And I know that we've heard many Republicans say that folks had self-reported to them that this was happening and that they were concerned it could potentially hurt their efforts to become naturalized citizens.

I have to ask you, as the former Passaic County Clerk, let me back up and say we've seen a lot of finger-pointing as to who should have caught it, who's responsible.

And so, given your role as this former state county clerk, I have to ask, don't county officials have a role to play in verifying our voter rolls and those who are registered?

So with this process, I'm not clear, and we do have so many questions that need to be answered.

What we do know so far is that the information was collected by ADEMIA, forwarded to the Division of Elections.

So was that information verified by the state?

There certainly seems to be something lacking here.

So once the information was collected and transmitted, what happened and how did nobody pick it up?

Was that information coming from the division and being sent to the counties?

We really don't have any answers to that.

And I think it's really important that we know exactly what happened.

My understanding is this is a sampling that was looked at.

And so we're only looking at one year.

We really have to go back to 2019 when automatic voter registration started.

I know that several of your Republican colleagues in leadership, Senator Anthony Bucco, Senator Declan O'Scanlan, are calling for an immediate halt of voter registration happening through MVC, the Motor Vehicle Commission.

Do you agree that that is an appropriate next step?

I think under the circumstances, it's extremely appropriate.

Until we really figure out what happened, we need a pause.

And maybe the end is the correct remedy as well.

Stop doing voter registration automatic through motor vehicle.

- I know you have sponsored and introduced several pieces of legislation, even before this came to light, trying to change some of these processes.

Can you talk us through a couple of the bills that you think maybe could have prevented this or could prevent it moving forward?

So we had previously introduced safeguard legislation to make sure that the integrity of all of our elections are upheld.

Everybody wants safe and secure elections.

And as we had concerns over the years, we introduced legislation.

Some of it dates back two or three sessions ago.

And it's important to point out that some of this legislation is bipartisan as well.

Some of the legislation would address stopping automatic registration.

Other legislation would be to put a voter task force together to study what was going on.

We have also bipartisan legislation on looking at vote by mail.

When a ballot is returned in two consecutive federal elections as not being able to deliver the -- to that person, they should come off the voter rolls.

So, over the years, we have introduced a number of legislation, even most recently, bipartisan legislation, again, to put in protocols at motor vehicle that, once it was realized that a non-citizen was getting the driver's license or an ID, that would end the process.

There would be no automatic proceeding to the next step, and it would stop the individual from being registered to vote.

So is that essentially a change in the language at the MVC when a person is getting a license?

The technology changes so that they can't, it's not possible for them to register?

Is that what you're saying?

Yeah, there's different mechanisms.

You know, it's when they get to the keypad, it's an opt-out system.

Originally, it was supposed to be an opt-in, but the opt-out clearly isn't working if it allowed, you know, over 6,000.

And that's the other issue that we have concerns about.

We really don't know what the real number is.

We've heard preliminary.

We think this is the number.

We know that the Department of Homeland Security has a much higher number.

Whatever the number is, we do need to know.

Let me ask you this.

I know that this bill was first signed into law in 2018 to allow this registration through the NVC.

You raised an issue in 2021.

You sent a letter to then NVC Commissioner Sue Fulton, and you said that there were repeated failures of the Murphy administration to manage the technology assets.

What do you make of the governor's response just recently over the weekend that this was the first he'd heard about this being a problem when Governor Sherrill announced it?

You know, I think it's really troubling that he didn't know.

And that begs the next question, how did he not know?

Who knew what was going on?

We're still not clear what prompted Governor Sherrill to have her administration look into this, and we give her credit for doing it.

This didn't happen under her watch.

She was quick to come out and let the public know what was going on.

And we do believe that appropriate steps will be taken.

But you can't solve a problem until you know how the problem happened.

At the end of the day, the governor is responsible for everything that happens under his or her administration.

And clearly, I didn't know is not an acceptable answer.

Do you see the opportunity right now for a bipartisan solution?

Do you see Democrats and Republicans working together towards this, both acknowledging there's an issue?

I do.

You know, at the end of the day, voter integrity and election integrity, safe and secure elections, is not a partisan issue.

We have already worked on legislation together, making sure there are certain safeguards put in, making sure that our elections are of the utmost integrity.

And so this is an opportunity to continue that work, work together, make sure we address what happened.

I do think it's important to look back, and I do think that takes the form of a special committee of the legislature with subpoena powers.

But I also think when you do that, legislation comes out of that.

And we've seen that in the past.

And so working together, I think we can put some meaningful safeguards in so that this never happens again in our state and that both sides feel secure going forward.

All right, we have to leave it there.

State Senator Kristen Carado, Republican in District 40, and also the former Passaic County Clerk.

Thanks for your insight.

Thanks for joining us today.

- Thank you.

- "Under the Dome" is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

(upbeat music) - To Capitol Hill now, where Republicans are moving on tens of billions of dollars in funding for the war in Iran.

Meanwhile, the fallout from New Jersey's voter registration error has also reached Washington, with Republicans pointing to it as they push for stricter federal voting rules.

Our Washington, D.C.

correspondent, Ben Hulak, has all the latest developments from the nation's Capitol, and he joins us now.

Hey, Ben, great to see you.

I want to start with what's happening in Iran, because I know the House voted last week on a budget plan to fund the conflict.

What can you tell us about the numbers of what they're voting on?

Right.

So this was overall $95 billion of fresh funding that has not been approved.

In other words, there is no offset.

There is no way to pay for this.

This is what's known as deficit spending, which is money that comes straight out of the Treasury and is effectively borne by the American taxpayer.

This is largely money for Iran.

There is also money for farmers, who have largely been affected by Trump's tariffs and immigration policies, immigration restriction on work visas.

And there is also $10 billion for this Republican goal before the midterms, which is an election restriction bill, effectively, legislation that has not passed Congress that would make it harder to vote for Americans nationwide by raising the requirements for voter ID and how to register overall.

We're going to get into the voting issue.

I want to stay on the funding for Iran.

I know there was $150 billion, right, in last year's budget bill.

Is that money spent?

Why now is there a request for additional money to fund the conflict overseas?

There's $150 billion that Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense, confirmed to the Senate Appropriations Committee last week that has not been spent.

You're right.

This is what the Pentagon wants.

They want another round of funding.

It's known on the Hill as a supplemental funding request, a supplemental.

And the question at this point is really what does Congress say to this?

Do they acquiesce?

Already through the regular appropriations process, the Pentagon has requested more than a trillion dollars worth of funding.

That is a record in itself.

These two batches of funding for Iran specifically are on top of that.

So there is a, it is a mountainous request and likely Congress will approve this.

In general, there are not a lot of deficit hawks who want to rein in spending on either side of the aisle and Republicans hold both chambers, majorities in both chambers.

This is a priority of the president's.

He wants to wrap up this war before it drags into the midterms.

And if prices stay high due to this war, remember oil is a major export of Iran and oil prices have shot up as the war has lagged on.

This could become also a political item.

That's another story.

We're hearing right now some pushback from Democrats who say they want to see money spent here at home.

They see that there's a great need with inflation and rising cost of food and other necessities for families.

I'm curious, what about some of the staunchest America First Republicans?

How are you hearing any pushback from Republicans and where do New Jersey's three Republicans stand?

The three Republicans for New Jersey are firmly in line with the White House and the Pentagon on this.

There is some pushback, but it is largely from the what's known as the House Freedom Caucus.

These are members who say they oppose deficit spending, spending money that the U.S.

does not have or has no way to pay for.

But these are also largely the same people who approved what will be a four point, a four trillion dollar piece of legislation last summer that the White House wanted.

This is the big, beautiful bill, as the White House calls it.

And that had no way to pay for it.

So these are people who largely complain and then ultimately buckle and fold underneath the Trump administration's will.

I did talk with one of our members, Jeff Van Drew, a South Jersey member, last Thursday.

And I asked him about the war and any prospects that this could be a political drag for him.

And he effectively said, yeah, of course it could be.

I'd be a fool not to think that it would.

But we also, we are in at this point in Iran and fighting with the Iranian government, the Iranian military.

We cannot have a slapdash withdrawal.

He does not want a prolonged war.

He didn't say that by any means, but he said, look, like the pragmatic answer is we're there.

We have to deal with what we have at this point.

- Can we switch gears quickly, Ben?

Because I know that you spoke with Congressman Van Drew about more than just funding the overseas conflict in Iran.

Voting election security is obviously a big talking point here in New Jersey.

I know it's reached DC.

The president is still trying to push through the SAVE Act, but I know the congressman is calling on the state to answer questions.

What can you tell us about what Congressman Van Drew is asking for?

He is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee's oversight subcommittee.

This is, a lot of committees have oversight subcommittees.

These are panels that do investigative work in theory.

Often they turn into partisan exercises.

What Van Drew told me Thursday is when Congress gets back from its August recess after Labor Day, he will be holding hearings.

He will be going deep on this.

And he, as a New Jerseyan, told me he was embarrassed that of all 50 states, New Jersey is the one that had surfaced this election error, this voting election error.

That's not entirely true.

There was a similar error in Texas recently that also had to do with the DMV and voter registration in that state.

That has not become a national talking point in large part because Republicans who control the White House and both halves of Congress have not pushed to make it one.

The timing here, of course, is really, it has created a field day for Republicans, this New Jersey voter.

Do you see this, Ben, as giving the President maybe some momentum that he needs to turn over one or two more votes to get this Save America Act through?

Do you see this actually changing any minds?

I don't see it changing minds because the math doesn't really, as the kids say these days, it doesn't math.

This bill has passed the House many times in different forms.

Republicans are effectively trying to tack it on to anything that moves in the House.

The Senate filibuster is still there.

That requires 60 votes to clear legislation.

That is not bending.

The Republican majority leader in the Senate, John Thune, is an old school Republican.

He is simply not going to buckle, unless something truly drastic happens and changes, to change the filibuster.

So, the math, it just does not add up.

It is, timing-wise, it is a great political talking point for Republicans, but to actually change the law before the midterms, which is what Republicans want, is an extremely tall task.

And also, this would be, the timeline here would be pretty vicious if this actually became law, because every state and all US territories would, in a matter of weeks, be forced to implement a law they effectively know nothing about.

It would be on the states to carry out, pay for, and implement these new restrictions.

So this is, not only will this be incredibly difficult politically, but logistically, this is very convoluted.

And it's political gold, but logistical nightmare.

- Yeah, great way to pivot.

Ben Hulak for us down in Washington, DC.

Appreciate the analysis.

I know there's so much more we could talk about, but we do have to leave it there, but thank you.

- Of course.

- School's out for summer, and for most kids, that means no more homework.

But for many kids across the state, that also means no more breakfast and lunch that were provided during the school day.

It's estimated that more than 270,000 children in New Jersey experience food insecurity.

And the summer is always a tougher time for that reason, but with the federal changes to SNAP benefits, that's the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, it's made it so that some families truly don't know where their next meal will come from.

I recently spoke with Terry Connolly, CEO of Nourish NJ, a Morris County-based organization, about what they're hearing from families who are struggling.

Terry, thanks so much for coming on to talk to us.

We know the summer months tend to be a time where we see increased hunger and food insecurity, but this summer in particular, residents are especially feeling it.

Why?

What's contributing to that?

So we know that in New Jersey, one in seven children, which is 275,000 kids, experience food insecurity.

And that is throughout the entire year.

When you get to the summer months, where families no longer have access to free and reduced meals at school, that puts that added pressure on the families.

This year, compounding that is the increase in food costs.

We all feel it when we go to the grocery store.

We leave with what feels like not a whole lot of food and the bill is so much higher than it would have been before.

So it's not surprising that families are having a harder time.

And then compound that with rising rent costs.

And then the price of gas right now is so high.

So all of these pressures are just squeezing families tighter and tighter, making it even harder for them this year than it has been previous summers.

There's also been some legislative changes.

We know that last summer, Congress and the president moved forward a work requirement change for SNAP recipients.

And it applies to many who receive SNAP, which is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program here in New Jersey.

They say that they want these work requirements to reduce federal spending and to reduce dependency on welfare.

Let me ask you this first.

How many residents in New Jersey were impacted by the new requirements to be eligible for SNAP?

So the most recent count is that 38,000 households in New Jersey have lost access to their SNAP benefits.

And we know that on average 38 to 40 percent of people receiving SNAP have children.

So included in that 38,000 people who have lost benefits is 20,000 children in New Jersey.

So this is devastating for families, devastating for children who are growing up in this environment.

You know, SNAP provides the basis for a lot of families to be able to go to the store and purchase what they need.

It is by far not enough to cover all of the family's food needs, which is why they also come to organizations like Nourish NJ every day to supplement what they can get with SNAP.

But then, you know, once you lose those SNAP benefits, you know, you're just digging deeper and deeper into the hole and families are really struggling right now.

Have you seen that this change to the work requirements is actually helping folks to get out there and get employed?

Are we seeing increases in employment as it relates to this change?

We are not, because the vast majority of people who receive SNAP benefits are already working.

So most people who are able to work are working.

Where we're seeing people losing benefits is primarily people who are experiencing homelessness, veterans, people who are the primary caregiver for their children, so they need to be home.

Childcare vouchers have also been cut.

So access to care for your child has been significantly decreased.

And, you know, all of these things come together in a way that if you need to be working to keep your SNAP benefits, if you're not already working, the other supports that you need, like childcare, transportation, assistance with job searches are just not there anymore.

All of those programs have gone away or been significantly reduced.

But I think the most important point is that most people who receive SNAP benefits are already.

You, I know, are based in Morris County primarily.

You're located in Dover and Morristown, yes?

Yes.

How do you reach people?

Who is able to come in to Nourish NJ?

And what types of services do you offer there?

Just give us a sense of what your operation looks like.

Sure.

So we have been in operation for 40 years.

We started in Morristown and opened a Dover location three years ago.

We are a no questions asked organization.

So that means that anyone who walks through our doors is welcome to help themselves to food.

And food is really the primary engagement that we have.

So the ultimate goal is to help families and individuals build stability in their lives.

So financial stability to help them move past food insecurity, but it starts with the food.

So no questions asked, no barriers, everybody deserves food, everybody has a right to food.

So people come in, they help themselves, they get to know our social workers.

And then we begin to work on things with them like how to increase their household income, how to control their housing costs, how to prevent eviction, how to get people quickly rehoused if they do lose their housing.

We are the SNAP navigator for Morris County, so helping people access those benefits.

We provide meals to college students at County College of Morris who can't afford to purchase meals on campus to help them stay in school and be able to graduate and have better incomes at the end of that education.

So it's really wraparound services that are geared towards helping build stability and help people thrive instead of just survive.

We know that food banks more and more are feeling the crunch of having to supplement the gaps.

And let me ask you this, what is the best way for folks to help if they do want to donate, if they do want to get involved?

So there's so many ways, you know, volunteering.

We use more volunteers now on average, on an average day we have anywhere from 20 to 50 volunteers who help us make our mission happen.

So if you have some extra time, volunteer for a local organization.

We always need the hands, we always need the help.

Food drives are helpful, so reach out to organizations near to you, including Marish NJ, and find out what the current needs are.

You know, what are the things that we're shortest on?

A lot of people have begun to donate produce from either their garden or from their community gardens, which is incredibly helpful, because as we all know, fresh produce is one of the most expensive things for families to access.

So we really try to focus less on canned goods and dry goods and more on healthy, fresh foods that families have a difficult time affording.

And then of course, financial donations always help and are incredibly flexible to allow us to really adapt to exactly what is it that that family or that population on that specific time needs.

So maybe there's a need for milk and eggs right now, or maybe there's a need for fresh produce, or maybe we didn't get the protein that we had ordered, so we need to go out and get that, where we need to deliver to people.

So financial donations give us that flexibility to react quickly.

- All right, Terri Connelly, I know you're doing good work out there on the ground, CEO of Nourish NJ, thank you so much.

- Thank you so much.

- That's gonna do it for us tonight.

I'm Joanna Gagis for the entire team here at NJ Spotlight News.

Thanks for being with us.

Have a great night.

We'll see you right back here tomorrow.

(upbeat music) - RWJBarnabas Health, learn more at rwjbh.org.

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