Oregon has reinstated its automatic voter registration program after a suspension that followed the discovery that noncitizens had been mistakenly added to the voter rolls. The decision to resume the program comes after officials claimed they had put new safeguards in place to prevent further errors.
The program was initially paused in October 2024 after an audit revealed that approximately 1,600 people had been registered despite lacking proof of U.S. citizenship. These errors were linked to Oregon’s “Motor Voter” law, which registers individuals when they obtain a driver’s license or ID at the DMV. Because the state grants licenses to some noncitizens, the process failed to filter out ineligible individuals.
Gov Kotek has reinstated Oregon’s Motor Voter Program following the implementation of new “protections.” We appreciate acknowledgement of previous data issues, but these actions fail to address the broader concerns surrounding election security in Oregon.https://t.co/6VDFSCeN81
— Oregon GOP (@Oregon_GOP) February 28, 2025
In response, the DMV has introduced several changes, including modifying its data entry system, adding an end-of-day review by supervisors, and hiring a voter registration integrity analyst. State officials claim these measures will prevent further problems.
They just approved doing automatic voter registration after last years dmfraud…Oregon is begging for a full Audit in every agency
— Honeybear1776 (@honeybear1776) March 1, 2025
However, critics argue the program remains flawed. Republican lawmakers, including State Sen. Daniel Bonham, believe the system should have remained suspended until a full legislative review could be conducted. “This was rushed back into operation without enough accountability,” Bonham said.
Another dubious achievement by OMVP not achieving anything except almost (48th) last in voter registration integrity.
— B Wilson-my 2 cents (@BWilson49269368) February 28, 2025
Seventeen of the individuals mistakenly registered had already cast ballots, prompting additional concerns. While most of these cases have been closed, three are still being investigated by the Oregon Department of Justice.
Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read defended the decision to reinstate the program, stating that his office had implemented extra safeguards, including monthly audits and daily reconciliation with DMV records. But with election security concerns growing nationwide, many remain skeptical that the state has fully addressed the issue.
