Oregon officials acknowledged Friday that a data entry error meant more than 300 foreign nationals were registered to vote in the state since 2021, the Associated Press reported.
Kevin Glenn, a spokesman for the Oregon Department of Transportation, said an analysis the agency conducted found that 306 noncitizens were registered to vote when they applied for driver's licenses. According to To the Associated Press.
Glenn added that two of the people who were mistakenly registered voted in 2021 or later, despite state and federal laws restricting foreign nationals from voting, according to the Associated Press. (Related: Biden administration 'strongly' opposes bill to crack down on voting for illegal immigrants)
Oregon DMV mistakenly registered more than 300 foreigners to vote since 2021 https://t.co/5Q6jRtivLO
— Associated Press (@AP) September 14, 2024
According to the media, Glenn said the error was “basically a data entry issue” because the state Department of Transportation (DMV) automatically registers people to vote when they receive their driver's licence.
According to the Associated Press, Glenn explained that DMV officials sometimes mistakenly declare that people applying for a driver's license or state ID card have a U.S. birth certificate or passport when in fact they don't have one.
Oregon Secretary of State Lavonne Griffin-Valade said her office first learned of the issue on Thursday, according to the Associated Press, and released a statement about the error on Friday.
According to the Associated Press, the secretary said 306 people would be “notified by mail that they will not receive a ballot unless they prove they are eligible to vote.”
“While this error is unfortunate, the Secretary and the Department of Elections support automatic voter registration and its many benefits,” Griffin Valade added.
Oregon's Democratic governor, Tina Kotek, said “this situation will have no impact on the 2024 elections,” but DMV Administrator Amy Joyce said said The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that further investigation may reveal that many more foreign nationals are registered to vote.
According to the Associated Press, as of 2019, foreigners have been able to obtain driver's licenses in Oregon.
