Oregon County Election Officials Removing Noncitizens Improperly Listed On Voter Rolls
UPDATE: Oregon Governor Shuts Downs DMV Loopholes After Voters’ Roll Errors
After it was revealed last week that 306 non-U.S.citizens had been registered since 2021 by mistake, Oregon county election officials indicated on Monday that the names were removed from their voter rolls.
Oregon is still working on identifying how many non-U.S. citizens were registered to vote improperly.
Names Removed From Controversial Oregon Voters Roll
The inclusion of non-U.S. citizens on Oregon voter rolls came about from two laws. The state’s “motor law,” launched in 2016, automatically registers people to vote when they receive or renew a driver’s license.
Then in 2019, Oregon passed a policy to allow noncitizens to receive driver’s licenses, although people without proof of citizenship while applying for a license may not register to vote.
On Friday, the DMV indicated their audit of registrations since 2021 showed 306 people had been registered to vote improperly, but only two actually voted.
Over 100 people are working over the weekend as the agency continues reviewing records. Oregon has over 3 million registered voters and the number of non-U.S. citizens on the roll could still grow.
None of those mistakenly registered had requested to be added to voter lists. It’s illegal for noncitizens to vote in elections and officials are investigating whether the two people found to have voted first obtained U.S. citizenship before voting.
No breakdown of where the voters were mistakenly registered was provided by the Secretary of State’s office. Several county clerks issued statements on Monday indicating the number of noncitizens removed from their active voter rolls as follows:
- Klamath County: 1
- Lane County: 11
- Clackamas County: 18
- Deschutes County: 12
- Multnomah County: 58
- Washington County: 95 (94 still unverified)
Officials said none of those identified in any of these counties had voted.
Democrats Concerned At News Of Non-U.S. Citizens On Voters Rolls
A first-term lawmaker from Tigard, U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas, called the errant registrations “total malpractice” on the part of the state’s Driver and Motor Vehicles division. State Rep. Janelle Bynum called on the Oregon Department of Justice to investigate the matter last week.
The Attorney General, Democrat Ellen Rosenblum, said in a statement that the Secretary of State must decide whether to refer the matter to her office before she can investigate. Gov. Tina Kotek’s office did not say whether she would support an inquiry.
Republicans Say Oregon Election Laws Are Lax
Senate Minority Leader Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, urged Gov. Kotek in a letter on Monday to enact stricter policies to maintain voter rolls, saying, “The integrity of the entire system could be at risk if we fail to act now to prevent further issues.”
House Minority Leader Jeff Helfrich, R-Hood River, said a hearing on the matter should be held in Salem next week when lawmakers convene.
State Rep. Ricki Ruiz, D-Gresham, said in a statement on X that he shares the concerns of the community and is committed to ensuring an accurate, secure, and fair voter registration process.
The DMV accidentally registered around 300 non-U.S. citizens to vote. This could seriously impact their path to legal residency & citizenship, as voting without being a citizen can disqualify them. We must ensure these mistakes don't happen again. Here is my full statement: pic.twitter.com/5DA20AaY5p
— Ricki Ruiz (@RickiRuizOR) September 14, 2024
As Republicans continue to put the issue of widespread non-citizen voting in the limelight, last week state officials stressed that no noncitizen would receive a ballot and the registration errors would not impact this year’s election.