Oregon Republicans Demand Trump Mandate Voter ID After 2024 DMV Registration Fiasco

By Lucille McNamara On Mar 9, 2025

Oregon State Capitol - Salem, Oregon — FILE - Oregon State Capitol - October 2024 - Salem, Oregon | Photo by Seth Smigelski

Voter ID and verification of citizenship must be mandated nationwide for voter registration, say seven Oregon House Republicans.

They have written a letter, calling on President Donald Trump to issue an executive order to that effect following the registration of 1,259 unqualified residents by the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) ahead of the 2024 election.

Only nine of those registered due to a ‘clerical error’ had a potentially illegal history of voting, according to the Secretary of State’s Office, representing a small fraction of the 760,000-plus people who had been registered via the DMV program.

The DMV Voter Registration System Resumed in February

The Oregon DMV voter registration system was resumed last month after several changes were introduced following an instruction by Governor Tina Kotek for an immediate audit of the DMV program after the clerical error was uncovered.

The DMV employed a Voter Registration Integrity Analyst, instituted a third review process, and conducted daily file controls, random sampling tests, and an annual review panel.

The Secretary of State’s Office has also implemented reforms such as random sampling tests to ensure accuracy, daily file controls to ensure that DMV and Secretary of State figures match, and an annual panel review.

The House Republicans letter is critical about the governor’s audit, describing it as ‘limited in scope.’ The letter also expressed concerns about lifting a moratorium on automatic voter registration and criticized a public hearing to consider a bill proposing that voting age eligibility be lowered to 16.

The letter further calls for nationwide standardized legislation to safeguard the integrity of elections and to restore public confidence in democratic institutions.

House Republican Leader Christine Drazan says ODOT should not be held responsible for the integrity of elections and calls on the Secretary of State to oversee the Oregon elections or to discontinue its voter program.