Oregon DMV mistakenly registered more than 300 non-citizens to vote since 2021

PORTLAND — Oregon officials acknowledged Friday that the state mistakenly registered more than 300 non-citizens as voters since 2021 in what they described as a “data entry issue” that happened when people applied for driver’s licenses.

An initial analysis by the Oregon Department of Transportation, which oversees the state’s Driver and Motor Vehicle Services, revealed that 306 non-citizens were registered to vote, said Kevin Glenn, a department spokesperson. Of those, two voted in elections since 2021.

State and federal laws prohibit non-citizens from voting in national and local elections.

The mistake occurred in part because Oregon has allowed non-citizens to obtain driver’s licenses since 2019, and the DMV automatically registers most people to vote when they obtain a license or ID, Glenn said.

“It’s basically a data entry issue,” Glenn said, explaining that when a DMV worker enters information about a person applying for a driver’s license or state ID, they can incorrectly code that the person has a U.S. birth certificate or passport when they don’t.

DMV Administrator Amy Joyce told The Oregonian/OregonLive on Friday that the office is checking for additional errors and will likely find more instances of registering non-citizens to vote.

Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade said Friday in a statement that the 306 people involved “will be notified by mail that they will not receive a ballot unless they demonstrate that they are eligible to vote.”

“While this error is regrettable, the secretary and the Elections Division stand by automatic voter registration and its many benefits,” she said, adding that her office learned of the problem late Thursday.

More than 3 million people are registered to vote in Oregon, meaning 300 or so who were mistakenly registered would represent a tiny fraction of potential voters.

“This situation will not impact the 2024 election in any way,” Gov. Tina Kotek said.

The DMV’s lapses were first reported by Willamette Week.