Oregon’s automatic voter registration system fails, wrongly registers non-citizens

The Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has admitted to erroneously registering at least 306 non-citizens to vote in U.S. elections, a revelation that has sparked significant concern about the state’s automatic voter registration system. The admissions, disclosed on Friday, reveal that the mistakes have occurred since 2021, attributed to a system that automatically registers individuals who obtain a driver’s license or state ID.

Since 2019, Oregon has permitted non-citizens to obtain driver’s licenses, which has led to the erroneous inclusion of these individuals in voter registration rolls. Of the 306 wrongly registered, only two have reportedly cast ballots in elections since 2021. Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade has stated that these individuals will be notified by mail that they will not receive a ballot unless they can prove their eligibility to vote.

Despite the error, Griffin-Valade defended the state’s automatic voter registration program, highlighting its benefits and the proactive measures taken to uncover the mistake. Governor Tina Kotek echoed this sentiment, asserting that the discovery of these errors, while regrettable, will not affect the integrity of the 2024 election. “The error in data entry was discovered as part of our diligent preparations for the 2024 election,” Kotek said. “My office will continue to closely monitor the situation to ensure it does not impact the upcoming election.”

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose highlighted the challenges faced by state offices in verifying voter registration accuracy. In Ohio, voter rolls are first checked against DMV data, but this process often fails to confirm a registrant’s citizenship status. The second check involves the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database, maintained by the Department of Homeland Security. LaRose criticized the cumbersome nature of querying this database, noting that each query incurs a $1.50 fee and the process is often obstructed by difficulties in accessing necessary information.

Furthermore, LaRose expressed frustration over the lack of access to additional DHS data that could improve the accuracy of voter roll audits. He suggested that there might be a reluctance to provide this information, hindering efforts to identify non-citizens on voter rolls. “It would seem they don’t want us to use that information to identify non-citizens,” LaRose remarked.

The situation in Oregon underscores ongoing debates about the efficacy and reliability of automatic voter registration systems and the need for robust measures to ensure voter roll accuracy across the United States.