Oregon officials have revealed that a recently discovered error in the state's automatic voter enrollment system has led to the registration of 1,259 possible noncitizens since 2021. The initial estimate of around 300 mistakenly enrolled individuals was surpassed after a complete review by the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the Secretary of State's office. Despite the error, only ten of the individuals who were mistakenly registered went on to cast a ballot. Notably, at least one of the individuals had become a citizen before voting.

The enrollment error originated in 2021 as a result of a state law allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses in Oregon. The audit conducted by the DMV identified that staff may have inaccurately selected "U.S. passport" or "U.S. birth certificate" when presented with foreign documents, triggering voter registration for noncitizens. Subsequently, changes have been implemented to prevent similar errors in the future, such as rearranging the drop-down menu to ensure "U.S. passport" is not the default option and introducing additional verification measures for birth certificates and passport information.

Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade emphasized that while the error was regrettable, noncitizen voting remains exceptionally rare in Oregon and across the country. She underscored the importance of automatic voter registration as a means to ensure eligible Oregonians can exercise their right to vote. Although the individuals erroneously registered will not receive a ballot for the upcoming 2024 election, they will have the opportunity to re-register if they are eligible in time for the election. The swift corrective actions taken by the DMV and the Secretary of State's office have rectified the issue before any significant impact on the electoral process.