LaVonne Griffin-Valade, Oregon Secretary of State updated Oregonians on the recent errors with the Oregon Driver & Motor Vehicle Services Division (DMV) that resulted in more than 1,200 Oregonians being accidentally registered to vote through the Oregon Motor Voter program.
“Our office was recently made aware of errors,” she wrote in a newsletter. “My office, working closely with our county clerks, took swift action to inactivate these registrations so that this mistake would not impact the 2024 election.
My priority has always been to build trust with you and ensure the integrity of our elections. Any problem impacting our election process needs to be taken seriously. I want to assure you that we have acted quickly and there will be no impact on the 2024 election. Over the coming weeks and months, we will take additional measures to ensure that the system is working properly, including a data quality review and a full audit of the Motor Voter system.
I want to be clear: We do not know the citizenship status of those who were accidentally registered through the DMV’s error. We do know that no one took any action to attempt to unlawfully register to vote. And we know that only a very small number of this group have voted — and may have been completely eligible when they did. We have already verified some of these people were indeed citizens when they cast their ballot.
But this situation has also led to a lot of confusion and fear among Oregon’s immigrant community, who have been made a target of false information and attacks even though this was an administrative error, and not any fault of their own.
For those who have been affected by the error, my office is prepared to help. We have already sent official letters to the people we know were erroneously registered, clearly stating they were registered through no fault of their own. We are keeping these letters on file should they be needed in the future as people apply for citizenship. My staff have held calls with community organizations, foreign consulates, and other people with ties to these communities who may be more trusted messengers within this population.
And finally, we are helping connect anyone who contacts us with resources such as translation services, legal counsel, and community support groups. Oregon residents who were erroneously registered may be eligible for free immigration legal services from Oregon’s Universal Representation program, Equity Corps of Oregon (ECO). ECO is aware of this issue and ready to provide expedited access to legal help for people who receive this letter.
I want to thank the community leaders who are helping spread the word to those affected, and providing accurate information to address the very real fear this incident has caused. This work is critical. I understand our responsibilities go beyond November. When government fails any community member, it is our responsibility to fix it and keep working to do better. As Secretary of State, I am committed to expanding access to our democracy for all eligible Oregonians. I am also committed to ensuring the privacy and safety of all Oregonians from threats, harassment, and voter intimidation.”
