Oregon DMV mistakenly registers over 300 non-citizens to vote since 2021 Oregon State officials have confirmed that a data entry error at the State's Department of Motor Vehicles DMV led to the accidental registration of more than 300 noncitizens as voters since 2021 this issue was discovered after an internal review prompted concerns about automatic voter registration protocols tied to driver's license applications according to Kevin Glenn a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Transportation 306 non-citizens were mistakenly registered to vote during this period of these two individuals cast votes in elections held after their registration both state and federal laws prohibit non-citizens from participating in local state and national elections and this mistake raised concerns about election Integrity though officials emphasized that the number was minimal compared to Oregon's 3 million registered voters the cause of the error the issue stems from Oregon's policy implemented in 2019 allowing non-citizens to obtain drivers licenses the state's Motor Voter law passed in 2016 automatically registers individuals to vote when they apply for or renew their driver's licenses unless they opt out this automation while designed to streamline voter registration became problematic due to manual data entry Errors By DMV staff when processing driver license applications DMV employees mistakenly marked some non-citizens as having us birth certificates or passports qualifying them for voter registration this coding error led to the improper registration of non-citizens who were otherwise ineligible to vote Glenn described the problem as a simple data entry issue but the impact was significant enough to prompt further investigation into potential similar mistakes DMV investigating further cases DMV administrator Amy Joyce acknowledged that this problem might extend beyond the 306 confirmed cases she noted that the department is conducting a broader audit of its records to identify additional instances of non-citizens being erroneously added to the voter roles Joyce expressed concern that other errors could exist and vowed to rectify them swiftly to prevent further breaches State officials respond Oregon Secretary of State leavon Griffin valad responded to the Discovery by reassuring the public that those affected would not be allowed to vote in future elections the 306 individuals will receive notifications by mail informing them that they will not receive a ballot unless they can prove their eligibility while this error is unfortunate We Stand by the benefits of automatic voter registration which has made our election process more inclusive Ive and efficient for eligible voters Griffin valad said in a statement she emphasized that her office only learned of the issue the day before and is committed to resolving it without impacting future elections impact on upcoming elections Governor Tina kotek quickly downplayed concerns about the 2024 elections stressing that this situation would have no effect on the Integrity of upcoming votes given that the 306 erroneous registrations rep present an insignificant percentage of the voter base the overall impact is expected to be negligible this issue while regrettable involves a fraction of the total electorate our election systems remain secure and this error will not affect the 2024 election in any meaningful way Governor kotek said in a statement reform considerations this incident comes as Oregon lawmakers consider tightening voting laws to ensure that only eligible citizens can participate in elections it also reignites debates surrounding the risks of automated systems in public administration especially when tied to fundamental Democratic processes like voting the Oregon DMV is now taking steps to strengthen its data validation processes to avoid similar errors in the future the lapses were first reported by local news Outlet willamet week which prompted immediate actions by state officials to address the issue this era though minor in its immediate consequences raises questions about how Oregon and other states can maintain robust safeguards against unintended voter registration in automated systems as audits continue Oregon voters can expect greater scrutiny of DMV registration practices in the leadup to Future elections like comment and subscribe for more updates