Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read Announces New Protections for Oregon’s Voter Rolls

As Gov. Tina Kotek lifted the pause on the transmission of Oregon Motor Voter Data from Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services (DMV) to the Secretary of State’s office (SoS), Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read announced new protections he is putting into place to help prevent future errors in Oregon’s voter registration process.  

“The new protections we are adding today will help us catch and fix government data entry errors faster. These are first steps, focused on getting the fundamentals right. I will continue to dig into the system and take action whenever I can to strengthen our voter rolls and prevent future mistakes. Our highest priority is – and must always be – protecting the integrity of Oregonians’ fair, secure, and accessible elections,” said Read. 

The steps the SoS will take include: 

1. Random Sampling – SoS staff will randomly sample Automatic Voter Registration ( files once every month and have the DMV confirm that each file was accurately and appropriately entered and dispatched. This sample will be in addition to other data integrity efforts underway at the Oregon Department of Transportation. 
2. Daily Control File – The DMV and SoS will add a simple, daily confirmation step whereby DMV and SoS staff will ensure that the number of Oregon Moter Voter files the SoS receives is the same as the number the DMV sent. 
3. Review Panel – At least once per year, ODOT will host a review panel from SoS, including election, internal audit, information technology, and/or administrative staff, as well as representatives from the Oregon Association of County Clerks to review the registration process and procedures and the success of existing controls put in place at ODOT.  

Read will also follow through on the voter roll protection commitments made by the previous administration, including hiring a new position solely dedicated to overseeing the Oregon Motor Voter program with a counterpart at the DMV. 

Furthermore, with the lifting of the Oregon Motor Voter pause, the SoS is committed to working in partnership with all the county clerks and elections directors to address the data that has accumulated since the pause began with the goal of ensuring that all eligible Oregonians have up-to-date, accurate voter registrations.