Oregon Republican lawmakers call for voter roll audit after motor voter error

An error in Oregon DMV’s automatic voter registration process resulted in 300 people being registered as voters in error.

The issue prompted Oregon Republican lawmakers to pen a letter to Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek asking for an audit of the state’s voter roll while Democrats say the error, which has impacted only a small number of people, is not cause for alarm.

Oregon’s Motor Voter law, passed in 2015, required the DMV to automatically register eligible voters who apply for or renew a state ID.

In a written statement, the DMV said the error resulted from state employees selecting "U.S. passport" as the type of ID proof provided by state ID applicants when in fact the passport provided was a foreign passport.

"Because having a U.S. version of either of those documents means a person is a citizen, the system included them in the file DMV sent to the Elections Division for the next step in the voter registration process," the DMV said in a written statement.

The Secretary of State’s Office says two of the people who were registered in error did end up voting but acknowledges that they may have been legally entitled to do so by the time they voted.

"The Secretary of State’s Office was made aware of the issue late on September 12 and acted within 24 hours. Residents impacted by this issue were noncitizens at the time they were erroneously registered. They will be notified by mail that they will not receive a ballot unless they demonstrate that they are eligible to vote," a written statement from the Secretary of State’s Office reads in part. "Only 2 individuals in this universe have a voting history. Their citizenship status at the time they voted is unknown. The Secretary of State will do additional due diligence in these cases."

The DMV said it individuated a similar error that occurred as a result of birth certificates being marked as U.S. birth certificates when the person may have been born abroad. Though the agency discovered that the passport error only applies to 300 people, it still has not determined how many people may have been registered as a result of incorrectly marked birth certificates.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Daniel Bonham penned a letter to Kotek asking for a full audit of Oregon’s voter roll.

"I write to you to strongly urge you to take swift and meaningful steps to ensure the integrity of Oregon’s voter rolls ahead of the upcoming November election. As stewards of a government accountable to its citizens, it is critical that our election system not only operates fairly but that it also upholds the public’s confidence in its accuracy and security," the letter reads in part.

Bonham cites a similar initiative done by Virginia’s governor, Glenn Youngkin.

"Recently, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order 35, outlining a comprehensive approach to election security. The order prioritizes the maintenance of accurate voter rolls and ensures that only legal votes are counted. This initiative includes purging outdated registrations, removing deceased voters from the rolls, and addressing any duplications," Bonham’s letter reads.

Senate Democratic Majority Leader Kathleen Taylor said the error is not reason for alarm and does not call for any legislative action.

"Our elections must be safe and secure, especially in the face of extremists trying to undermine our faith and democracy. In Oregon, we take pride in having one of the most secure and accessible election systems in the country, which is why it is so disappointing that a bureaucratic error at ODOT led to some people being incorrectly registered to vote through no fault of their own," she said in an interview. "I’m glad that the mistake was caught, and the secretary of state is taking immediate action to remove any ineligible voters from the rolls. I’ll be working with my colleagues to demand swift accountability and transparency from ODOT as they fix this problem. Regarding any legislative action for the upcoming 2025 session, I would say no, that we do not need to have any additional legislation in order to correct this problem."

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Author: KATU News
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News post in at: September 18, 2024, 3:04 am.

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