The Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles has disclosed that more than 300 individuals who are not U.S. citizens were mistakenly registered to vote, with some being undocumented immigrants.
“The mistake occurred in part because Oregon has allowed undocumented residents to obtain driver’s licenses since 2019 and the DMV automatically registers most individuals to vote when they obtain a license or ID,” the report read.
The issue arose from a system that automatically registers individuals to vote when they obtain a driver’s license, even if they cannot legally vote.
“(Kevin) Glenn (spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Transportation) said an initial analysis by the state transportation agency revealed 306 non-citizens were allowed to become registered voters. Of those, only two have cast a vote in any election since 2021,” the report added. “He also clarified that the issue is statewide, not limited to any specific county.”
“It’s basically a data entry issue,” Glenn said.
While only two of these individuals have voted since 2021, state officials have maintained their support for automatic voter registration.
“While this error is regrettable, the secretary and the Elections Division stand by automatic voter registration and its many benefits,” said LaVonne Griffin Valade, Oregon Secretary of State.
“The error in data entry which may have affected the voter eligibility of some Oregonian’s voter registration was discovered because the Oregon DMV and the secretary of state were doing their due diligence ahead of the 2024 election,” Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said.
Critics argued that the incident has revealed flaws in the system, emphasizing the potential risks of loosening voter registration processes.
