Even Democrats are starting to wake up to the problem of electoral fraud, with the Governor of Oregon now calling for an investigation into many hundreds of people being improperly added to the voter rolls.
At a glance:
- Oregon Governor Tina Kotek calls for an independent audit of the state’s Driver & Motor Vehicle Services Division (DMV) “Motor Voter” program after it was revealed that 302 ineligible voters were mistakenly registered.
- This error adds to a previous discovery of 1,259 incorrect voter registrations, bringing the total to 1,561 ineligible voters since 2021.
- Mistakes involved clerical errors and the incorrect registration of residents from U.S. territories like American Samoa, who are not eligible to vote in certain elections.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has called for an independent audit of the state’s “Motor Voter” program after it was revealed that hundreds of ineligible voters were mistakenly registered. The revelation, which was made public on Monday in a report by the DMV, showed that an additional 302 individuals without proof of eligibility were erroneously added to the voter rolls. This follows a prior discovery of over 1,259 ineligible voter registrations, bringing the total to 1,561 since 2021.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzOdREsxcN0
The Motor Voter program, a key component of Oregon’s automatic voter registration system, automatically registers residents to vote when they obtain or renew a driver’s license. However, the system has faced criticism and scrutiny in recent months due to its errors in registering individuals who were not eligible to vote, including non-citizens and residents of U.S. territories like American Samoa and Swains Island, who are ineligible to vote in certain elections.
The most recent batch of ineligible registrations included 123 clerical errors and 178 involving residents of U.S. territories who were mistakenly marked as eligible voters. Oregon lawmakers passed a bill in 2019 allowing individuals to obtain driver’s licenses without proof of citizenship, which contributed to some of the registration errors.
Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade instructed election officials to immediately inactivate the 302 ineligible registrations, stressing that these errors would not impact the upcoming 2023 elections. Both Griffin-Valade and Governor Kotek have expressed the need for an independent, external audit to assess the problems within the Motor Voter system and restore public confidence in Oregon’s voter registration process.
“Thanks to the swift action of elections officials, I have full confidence that these new errors will not impact the 2023 election,” Griffin-Valade said in a statement. “However, it is crucial that we conduct an external audit to ensure the integrity of our voter registration system and prevent such mistakes from happening in the future.”
Republicans have seized on the issue, with Oregon Republican Jeff Helfrich stating that the audit is a concession by Democrats that the state’s automatic voter registration system is flawed. Which it is. He and other Republican lawmakers have called for the immediate removal of all ineligible voters from the rolls before the general election to ensure the accuracy of the voter registration system.
The recent revelations have fueled further debates over election integrity and the potential vulnerabilities of automatic voter registration systems. Critics argue that while the Motor Voter program was designed to increase voter participation and streamline the registration process, it has inadvertently opened the door to mistakes that could undermine confidence in the electoral system.
The audit requested by Governor Kotek is expected to provide a comprehensive review of the DMV’s processes and identify any systemic issues that contributed to the errors. Kotek has emphasized that accountability and transparency are essential in addressing the situation and ensuring that Oregon’s voter registration system is secure and reliable.
The question now is…why are they finally waking up to this problem right before an election?
Are they trying to get ahead of it?
