Oregon's Democratic governor is pausing automatic voter registration as the state admits to improperly registering hundreds of people to vote, including non-citizens.

State officials announced Monday that another 302 people were identified, after the state already admitted that 1,259 were improperly registered.

Non-citizens registered

In Oregon, residents are automatically registered to vote through the state's DMV when they apply for or renew a driver's license. In 2019, Oregon enacted a law allowing non-citizens to get licenses.

Proof of citizenship is still required to register to vote, but that hasn't stopped non-citizens from slipping through the cracks. Last month, the state announced that 1259 people who did not furnish proof of citizenship had been registered in error.

The DMV first noticed a problem in August but did not notify the governor until six weeks later. After an initial audit, the DMV thought they had discovered the full extent of the problem, but it continued to snowball.

"We have since learned this confidence was misplaced based on new information outlined in this announcement and after-action report and for this, we are sorry," DMV Administrator Amy Joyce said.

The DMV's "after action" report found 302 additional improper registrations. Of these, 178 were from people living in American Samoa and Swain Island who were incorrectly identified as citizens. 123 were added because of previously identified clerical errors.

It is believed that staff may have incorrectly identified foreign passports as U.S. passports, for example.  The DMV has changed its system so that "U.S. Passport" no longer appears at the top of the drop-down menu.

State downplays issue

State officials have downplayed the scandal, while admitting that at least some non-citizens may already have voted.

At least 10 individuals from the group of 1,259 people cast ballots, although state officials have said half of them have since been identified as citizens. Gov. Tina Kotek has called for the suspension of the state's "motor voter" program while an outside investigation is pending.

“Any error that undermines our voting system must be taken incredibly seriously and addressed,” Kotek said in a statement.

The state's Secretary of State, LaVonne Griffin-Valade, has insisted the errors are minuscule. But the state's Republican party says a more thorough investigation is needed to restore trust.

Angela Plowhead, the party’s vice chair, said the audit was based on a small sample going back to 2021.

“This small sample highlights how widespread inaccuracies in Oregon’s voter rolls are," she said. "The urgent need for an independent full and complete audit of the voter rolls is critical to ensure transparency and to reassure Oregonians that our elections are fair and free of fraud.”