On Saturday morning, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk commented on reports that the Oregon DMV had mistakenly registered over 300 non-citizens to vote.
On Friday, OregonLive reported that the Oregon DMV had erroneously registered at least 306 non-citizens as voters since 2021.
According to Oregon law, non-citizens are prohibited from voting in local elections, and federal law bars them from voting in national elections. However, since 2019, Oregon has allowed non-citizens to obtain driver’s licenses. Kevin Glenn, spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Transportation, explained that most individuals are automatically registered to vote when they obtain a license or ID, which contributed to the error.
Musk responded to the report, reposted by journalist Andy Ngo, calling it “illegal voter registration in Oregon.”
“The Oregon DMV has admitted to registering at least hundreds of non-citizens to vote since at least 2021 due to errors in its auto voter registration system,” Ngo wrote. “Additionally, every registered voter is sent ballots by mail. The audit is still ongoing, and more illegal registrations are expected to be found.”
Glenn noted that only an initial analysis has been conducted and that only two of the registered non-citizens have cast a ballot since 2021. DMV Administrator Amy Joyce confirmed that her office is continuing to check for errors and expects to find more instances of non-citizens being registered.
Glenn attributed the problem to a data entry issue, where a DMV worker might incorrectly indicate that a person has a U.S. birth certificate or passport when they do not.
“The Oregon Secretary of State defends the auto voter registration system. The DMV said before that it was impossible for noncitizens to be registered in its system,” Ngo continued. “Meanwhile, leftists and liberals responding to the revelation say the numbers are so small out of 3 million registered voters that it doesn’t matter and shouldn’t matter anyway. Others argue for noncitizens to be given voting rights.”
Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade stated that the affected individuals will be notified by mail that they will not receive a ballot unless they prove their eligibility to vote.
“While this error is regrettable, the secretary and the Elections Division stand by automatic voter registration and its many benefits,” Griffin-Valade added in a statement to OregonLive.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek mentioned that she had been briefed on the issue and had already directed the DMV to resolve it.
“The error in data entry that may have affected the voter eligibility of some Oregonians was discovered because the Oregon DMV and the Secretary of State were doing their due diligence ahead of the 2024 election,” Kotek said. “My office will continue to closely monitor the situation. This situation will not impact the 2024 election in any way.”
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This is concerning—mistakes like this can shake trust in the system. Glad they caught it, but it makes you wonder how many other errors go unnoticed.