After a pause lasting several months, Oregon has resumed its automatic voter registration program, which had been suspended following the discovery that noncitizens had been mistakenly added to voter rolls.
Gov. Tina Kotek ordered a temporary halt to the program in October 2024 after an audit found that nearly 1,600 individuals — some without proof of U.S. citizenship — had been registered to vote. The errors were linked to Oregon’s “Motor Voter” law, which automatically registers residents who apply for a driver’s license or ID. Because the state grants licenses to some noncitizens, the flawed process led to improper registrations.
The Oregon DMV has since overhauled its procedures in an attempt to prevent further errors. Changes include hiring a voter registration integrity analyst, adjusting the computer interface to reduce mistakes, and implementing an additional layer of review before voter data is sent to election officials.
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
Republican lawmakers remain unconvinced. State Sen. Daniel Bonham argued that “a few internal adjustments” would not be enough to restore public trust. Others, including Rep. Jeff Helfrich, criticized the decision to resume the program without first holding a legislative hearing on the audit findings.
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
State officials disclosed that 17 of the improperly registered individuals had cast ballots, though most cases have been resolved. Three remain under investigation by the Oregon Department of Justice.
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
Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read said his office has taken further steps to safeguard the program, including monthly random audits and daily registration verifications. But with concerns about election security growing nationwide, the controversy over Oregon’s voter registration system is unlikely to fade anytime soon.
