Governor Kotek Orders Enhanced Protections for Oregon's Motor Voter Program

Governor Kotek orders the DMV to protect Oregon's Motor Voter program after a data error.Photo bykgw.com

By Kristy Tallman

SALEM, Ore. (Sept. 24, 2024) — Gov. Tina Kotek on Monday directed the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles to take additional steps to safeguard the integrity of the state's Motor Voter program following a recently resolved data processing error.

The error, which impacted a set of records transmitted to the Oregon Secretary of State’s office, has been fully corrected. Kotek said protecting election system integrity is critical and pledged swift action to prevent future issues.

“The integrity of election systems is the cornerstone of a functioning democracy, and any error that can undermine our voting system must be taken seriously and addressed immediately,” Kotek said in a statement. “After DMV’s round-the-clock efforts to fix the known issues and ensure they won’t impact the 2024 general election, I’m now directing the agency to take further steps to prevent this from happening again.”

Under the governor’s orders, the DMV will:

• Provide updated training immediately to staff on the corrective actions taken in response to the error.
• Complete a comprehensive After Action Report within 14 days, detailing the error, corrective measures, and assurances the problem won’t recur.
• Begin a full-scale data integrity review led by external experts, with preliminary recommendations by the end of 2024.
• Work with the Oregon Secretary of State to create a data quality control calendar to maintain accuracy ahead of elections.

Oregon’s Motor Voter program, launched in 2016, automatically registers eligible citizens to vote when they apply for or renew a driver’s license, unless they choose to opt out.

By Kristy Tallman, Sept. 24, 2024
The Republic News

Source: Oregon Secretary of State

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