Seven in ten also support proof of citizenship for registration as lawmakers renew their push for tighter voting requirements.
October 13, 2026
More than four in five New Jersey adults support requiring photo identification to vote in person, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton Poll released Tuesday, giving voter ID proposals broad public backing amid scrutiny of the state’s registration system.
The survey found 82% support requiring a valid New Jersey driver’s license, state identification card or U.S. passport at the polls. 71% support requiring citizenship documents, such as a birth certificate or passport, when registering to vote. Opposition stood at 17% and 25%, respectively.
The findings arrive as Republicans renew efforts to advance voter ID legislation. New Jersey Monitor reported that Gov. Mikie Sherrill has expressed openness to identification requirements, but Republican proposals have not advanced in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.
Support crosses party lines. Including both strong and somewhat supportive responses, 66% of Democrats favor photo ID and 52% favor citizenship documentation. Among independents, support reaches 87% and 75%. Republicans register the strongest backing, at 98% and 96%.
The debate follows disclosures of roughly 6,600 noncitizen registrations through the Motor Vehicle Commission. On October 7, Sherrill announced approximately 1,100 additional registration records requiring correction or review, alongside audits and procedural changes. The survey preceded that announcement, New Jersey Globe reported.
Residents nevertheless express substantial confidence in election administration: 74% expect in-person ballots to be counted accurately, compared with 59% for mail ballots. Rutgers polling director Ashley Koning said support for additional requirements is more emphatic than confidence in the existing system.
The results measure support for hypothetical requirements; they do not enact a policy change. Rutgers surveyed 1,004 New Jersey adults September 24–27, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
JBizNews Desk | New Brunswick, N.J.
© 2026 JBizNews. All rights reserved.
