SALEM, Oregon — Republican lawmakers in Oregon on Monday asked Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek to ensure the integrity of the state’s voter rolls, after reports that about 300 non-citizens have accidentally registered as a voter since 2021.
The error arose in part because Oregon has allowed noncitizens to get driver’s licenses since 2019, and the state’s Driver and Motor Vehicle Services automatically registers most people to vote when they get a license or ID. An initial analysis by the Oregon Department of Transportation, which oversees the DMV, found that 306 noncitizens were registered to vote in what officials described as a “data entry glitch” that occurred when people applied for driver’s licenses. Of those, two voted in elections since 2021.
State and federal laws prohibit noncitizens from voting in state and local elections. Noncitizens include people who are in the country with legal status — such as green card holders and temporary workers — and people without legal status.
In a letter emailed to Kotek’s office on Monday, Oregon Senate Minority Leader Daniel Bonham asked her to consider measures similar to those outlined in an executive order issued last month by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The Republican governor directed state officials to certify the accuracy of voter rolls by removing those who had moved, died or could not verify their U.S. citizenship.
“These measures are critical to increasing public confidence in the electoral process and ensuring that elections are fair, transparent and secure,” Bonham wrote.
Kotek’s office declined to comment.
DMV Administrator Amy Joyce said The Oregonian/OregonLive on Friday that the office is still checking for additional errors and will likely find more cases of non-citizens registering to vote.
Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade said in a statement Friday that the 306 individuals involved “will be notified by mail that they will not receive a ballot unless they provide proof that they are eligible to vote.”
“While this error is regrettable, the Secretary of State and the Division of Elections continue to stand behind automatic voter registration and its many benefits,” she said, adding that her office only became aware of the problem Thursday evening.
In Oregon, more than 3 million people are registered to vote. That means the 300 or so people who registered by mistake represent only a small fraction of potential voters.
The DMV’s shortcomings were first reported by Willamette Week.