Oregon election officials are set to remove a significant number of inactive voters from the state’s voter rolls, a decision prompted by years of inaction, public pressure, and recent lawsuits against the state.
Democratic Secretary of State Tobias Reed announced two new directives aimed at restarting the cleanup of outdated and inactive voter registration records, which state law mandates. Oregon has around 800,000 inactive records on file.
The first directive mandates counties to promptly cancel long-term inactive registrations that should have been removed before 2017. This includes registrations where election mail was returned as undeliverable, voters didn’t respond to official notifications, and individuals didn’t participate in several federal elections. State officials estimate about 160,000 registrations fall into this category and should have been eliminated long ago.
The second directive alters how the state will handle inactive voters in the future. Voter identification cards will be updated to warn that if voters fail to respond or vote within a certain time frame, their registration will be canceled. Officials believe this measure allows for regular maintenance of inactive records as required by federal law.
These directives aim to tackle the backlog of inactive registrations and resume the regular upkeep of voter rolls after Oregon ceased removals in 2017. Reed stated, “These directives are about cleaning up old data that is no longer in use, so Oregonians can feel confident that their voter records are current.” He emphasized the goal of holding safe, fair, and accurate elections.
While it’s acknowledged that about 800,000 registrations are inactive—roughly 20% of the state’s voter rolls—officials have reiterated that these inactive voters are not receiving ballots. They clarified that a voter marked as “inactive” remains registered but won’t receive a ballot until re-registering.
However, these inactive voters still count in official totals for public records, leading some experts to argue that maintaining accurate rolls is essential. Having outdated records can create room for errors, as noted by Jason Sneed of the Honest Elections Project, who remarked on the surprising fact that removals had not occurred for nearly a decade. He stressed the importance of actively managing voter rolls to avoid complications in administering elections.
Sneed pointed out that issues can arise, particularly in mail-in voting states like Oregon, where sending ballots automatically without updating voter records could lead to them reaching ineligible individuals. Even with assurances from state officials that inactive voters do not receive ballots, recent administrative issues—such as the incorrect registration of noncitizens—raise legitimate concerns about whether safeguards are implemented consistently.
There’s a noticeable divide in perspectives regarding voter roll management. Sneed noted the resistance from some groups regarding any efforts to clean up voter roles, labeling it as “voter purge,” which they argue disenfranchises voters. Oregon has faced lawsuits recently from Judicial Watch and the Justice Department, which could have influenced the timing of Reed’s announcement.
Cleaning the voter rolls has turned into a politically charged issue, with Republicans advocating for stricter oversight and Democrats criticizing these efforts as attempts to suppress votes. A spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee asserted that they support ongoing maintenance of voter rolls while accusing Republicans of aggressive purges aiming to disenfranchise voters, particularly those from minority groups. Meanwhile, the RNC criticized Oregon’s management of its voter rolls, highlighting the large number of inactive registrants.
