(Rightallegiance.com) – Oregon officials have recently acknowledged a more significant issue with the state’s automatic voter enrollment system than initially believed. Since 2021, 1,259 potential noncitizens were erroneously added to Oregon’s voter rolls, a figure four times higher than previously reported.
The error surfaced earlier this month when officials disclosed that about 300 noncitizens were mistakenly enrolled through the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). However, a comprehensive review revealed the true extent of the problem.
Of the individuals erroneously registered, ten cast ballots, although at least one person became a U.S. citizen before voting. Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade assured the public that these individuals will not receive ballots for the 2024 election unless they re-register with proper documentation.
The root of the issue dates back to a 2021 law that allowed undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. The DMV’s system, which automatically registers legal citizens to vote when they receive a license or state ID, mistakenly registered noncitizens due to selection errors during the registration process. For example, DMV staff may have chosen “U.S. passport” or “U.S. birth certificate” as documentation when processing foreign identification documents. In response, the DMV has reorganized its drop-down menu to prevent such errors in the future.
“We identified a rare but important anomaly that we have now corrected,” said DMV administrator Amy Joyce in a statement. The DMV, in collaboration with the Secretary of State’s office, moved swiftly to address the issue ahead of the 2024 election.
Despite these errors, noncitizen voting remains exceedingly rare in Oregon and across the country, according to Secretary Griffin-Valade. Automatic voter registration continues to be praised as a tool to ensure eligible Oregonians have the opportunity to vote.
Across the nation, states face similar challenges with voter registration. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott reported the removal of over 1.1 million ineligible voters since 2020, while Ohio has referred 138 noncitizens for potential criminal charges for voting in previous elections. Additionally, Maricopa County in Arizona is facing a lawsuit for allegedly failing to remove more than 35,000 people who did not provide proof of citizenship.
Oregon’s voter registration error was uncovered following an inquiry by the Institute for Responsive Government, a nonprofit promoting government transparency and easier voter registration processes.