The Oregon Department of Motor Vehicle Services registered more than 300 noncitizens to vote in recent years, and while officials have scrambled to insist that these erroneous registrants won't impact elections, at least two of them have already cast ballots.
Last week, Oregon DMV officials learned that at least 306 noncitizens had been registered to vote after they applied for a state driver's license, [Willamette Week](https://www.wweek.com/news/state/2024/09/13/oregon-dmv-may-have-mistakenly-registered-more-than-300-non-citizens-to-vote/ ) first reported. These officials have since blamed the problem on a "data entry issue," [the AP](https://apnews.com/article/oregon-dmv-noncitizens-voter-registration-183e30de6d1c454370e606245ba6fde2?utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Twitter ) reported, citing Kevin Glenn of the state Department of Transportation, which oversees the DMV.
DMV officials have since added a step to the verification process in acquiring a driver's license ... but do expect to find other incorrect registrants.
Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade said on Friday that her office would notify each of the 306 individuals and inform them that they will not receive a ballot unless and until they can furnish proof 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," her statement continued.
[Gov. Tina Kotek](https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2024/09/oregon-dmv-has-registered-more-than-300-non-citizens-as-voters-since-2021.html ) (D) claimed that the discovery is just proof that the system is working as designed and that the wrongfully registered voters will have no bearing on the 2024 election.
"The error in data entry which may have affected the voter eligibility of some Oregonian’s voter registration was discovered because the Oregon DMV and the secretary of state were doing their due diligence ahead of the 2024 election," Kotek said. "My office will continue to closely monitor the situation. This situation will not impact the 2024 election in any way."
DMV officials have since added a step to the verification process in acquiring a driver's license to prevent other such inappropriate voter registrations in future. They also promised to continue investigating the problem but do expect to find other incorrect registrants.
Oregon Elections Director Molly Woon appeared eager to shield the noncitizens from blame. "These folks were registered by no fault of their own," she told the Oregonian/OregonLive. "They didn’t do anything wrong."
Almost a decade ago, the Oregon DMV began automatically registering people to vote when they applied for or tried to renew a driver's license. At the time, officials insisted that these changes would not result in noncitizens voting in Oregon elections in defiance of state and federal law.
"Driver and Motor Vehicle Services spokesperson David House said there is no risk people without proof of citizenship or legal residency will get registered to vote by obtaining a driver’s license," read a 2019 article from the Oregonian/[OregonLive](https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2019/07/oregon-drivers-licenses-for-undocumented-immigrants-wont-trigger-voter-registration.html ).
That same year, state law began permitting people who have no "[proof of legal presence](https://www.oregon.gov/odot/dmv/pages/hb2015.aspx )" in the state to obtain a driver's license nevertheless. In other words, illegal aliens may easily obtain a driver's license in Oregon.
Not only have hundreds of noncitizens since been incorrectly registered, but at least two of the errant registrants have reportedly cast a ballot since 2021.
While officials have insisted that 306 individuals spread across the state represent just a tiny fraction of the overall state electorate, several races and ballot referenda in the [2024 Oregon primary election](https://gov.oregonlive.com/election/ ) were decided by just a few hundred votes or less.
The North Plains urban growth boundary was rejected by fewer than 500 votes, the Molalla River school bond passed by about 115 votes, and Stan Baumhofer defeated Dick Courter for the Republican nomination for the state House District 33 race by just 34 votes.
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