Connect with us

West

Oregon mistakenly registered hundreds more voters without proving citizenship

Published

on

Oregon mistakenly registered hundreds more voters without proving citizenship

Officials in Oregon announced Monday that they have identified an additional 302 people on the state’s voter rolls who didn’t provide proof of citizenship when they were registered to vote.

The announcement comes just two weeks after officials in the Beaver state said 1,259 possible noncitizens have been registered to vote since 2021, bringing the total number of mistaken registrations to 1,561. 

The mistakes occurred in part because Oregon passed a law in 2019 allowing some residents who aren’t citizens to obtain driver’s licenses. And the state’s so-called “Motor Voter” law, which took effect in 2016, automatically registers most people to vote when they seek a new license or ID. 

OREGON MISTAKENLY REGISTERED NEARLY 1,260 POSSIBLE NONCITIZENS TO VOTE, DMV ADMITS

Oregon residents drop off their ballots near the Multnomah County Elections building in Portland on Nov. 3, 2020. (Ankur Dholakia/AFP via Getty Images)

Advertisement

The improper voter registrations stem from clerical errors at the state DMV. 

On Monday, the DMV released an “After Action Report,” which identified errors in its processes that led to the mistakes, with Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade then directing county elections officials to inactivate all 302 voter registrations. 

Griffin-Valade and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, both Democrats, called for an independent, external audit of the motor voter system in a joint statement.

“Thanks to the swift action of elections officials, I have full confidence that these new errors will not impact the 2024 election,” Griffin-Valade said. “The DMV’s After Action Report raises serious concerns about this important part of our voter registration system. The first step in restoring the public’s trust in Motor Voter is a transparent review by a neutral third party operating under strict government auditing standards.” 

Tina Kotek

Tina Kotek, then the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, speaks with members of the media before casting her ballot on Nov. 2, 2022, in Portland. (Getty Images)

DMV Administrator Amy Joyce said the agency believed two weeks ago that it was confident it understood and had reviewed all records at risk of error.

Advertisement

“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,” Joyce said in a statement. “DMV will follow the Governor’s directed actions and remains committed to continuous learning, corrective action, transparency and accountability.”

Griffin-Valade has ordered her office’s elections division to immediately hire a new Motor Voter oversight position, according to the statement. And she has instructed the division to establish a documented process for performing regular data checks with the DMV and update the administrative rules governing the Motor Voter system.

She said the Oregon Elections Division will work with the 36 county election officers to determine if any of the erroneously registered voters have previously cast a ballot. Every registered voter in Oregon is sent a ballot in the mail and the state had an 81.97% voter turnout rate in 2020. President Biden beat former President Trump comfortably in the 2020 election, winning the state by more than 380,000 votes. 

RNC BLASTS WALZ ADMIN’S NONANSWER ON HOW NONCITIZENS MADE IT ONTO MINNESOTA VOTER ROLLS: ‘NO HYPOTHETICAL’

Of the 302 additional cases, 178 were due to people from the U.S. territory of American Samoa being misclassified as U.S. citizens, the DMV report said.

Advertisement

However, under federal law, people from American Samoa are U.S. nationals, not citizens, and don’t have the same right to vote. Another 123 records stemmed from the previously identified clerical error, but weren’t included in prior reviews due to a newly identified software issue. And one case was caught by the DMV’s new quality controls.

Griffin-Valade’s office says they are doing everything they can to prevent the 302 mistakenly registered voters from receiving a ballot, but cannot guarantee that all 302 ballots will be removed before they are mailed. Her office is putting in place a process that will ensure those ballots are not opened or counted.

Of the 1,259 possible noncitizens identified last month, 10 mistakenly enrolled individuals went on to cast a ballot, according to Oregon’s secretary of state, although at least one became a citizen before voting.

Voters cast their ballots at official ballot boxes on November 8, 2022 in Portland, Oregon

Officials in the state announced Monday that they have identified a further 302 people on the state’s voter rolls who didn’t provide proof of citizenship when they were registered to vote. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images)

A DMV audit found staff may have accidentally selected “U.S. passport” when presented with a foreign passport, or “U.S. birth certificate” when given a foreign document, triggering voter enrollment.

The DMV said its drop-down menu has now been rearranged so “U.S. passport” is no longer the first, default option. Staff must also enter the state and county for all U.S. birth certificates and respond to a prompt when passport information is entered confirming that the documentation is accurate.

Advertisement

About half of all states, as well as Washington, D.C., have implemented automatic voter registration, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

But there have been numerous allegations of improper enrollment in states without automatic registration too.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced in August that officials have purged 1.1 million ineligible names from the voter rolls since the 2020 presidential election. 

Ohio’s secretary of state referred 138 noncitizens believed to have voted in previous elections to the state’s attorney general for possible criminal charges. 

Advertisement

And a conservative watchdog group is suing Arizona’s Maricopa County for allegedly failing to remove more than 35,000 people who did not provide proof of citizenship.

Fox News’ Hannah Ray Lambert and Anders Hagstrom, as well as The Associated Press, contributed to this story. 

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

San Francisco, CA

Suspect in stolen car arrested after trying to run over officer in San Francisco

Published

on

Suspect in stolen car arrested after trying to run over officer in San Francisco


A suspect driving a stolen car allegedly tried to run down a police officer and then hit another car while fleeing in San Francisco’s Bret Harte neighborhood on Thursday afternoon.

Shortly after 3 p.m., officers tried to use a spike strip to stop the car but the driver attempted to hit an officer, who was injured, San Francisco police said.

Advertisement

The driver fled, but his car collided with another vehicle, causing it to roll over at Third Street and Jamestown Avenue. The suspect tried to run away, but he was taken into custody. During the chase, another officer was injured, police said.

The suspect, the driver of the other car, and two officers were all hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

The incident is under investigation and police are asking anyone with information about the suspect to contact the SFPD at 1-415-575-4444-or text a tip to TIP411-and begin the message with SFPD.

Advertisement

 



Source link

Continue Reading

Denver, CO

Denver Broncos Rookie Quarterback Bo Nix Heating Up

Published

on

Denver Broncos Rookie Quarterback Bo Nix Heating Up


Former Oregon Ducks and current Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has had a rough start to their season. The team started off 0-2 and Nix threw for only 384 yards and had four interceptions with no touchdowns. Additionally, his only score through two games was a rushing touchdown in the season opener.

However, since the Broncos’ Sept. 15 loss to Pittsburgh, Denver and Nix have really turned a corner, winning three straight heading into their AFC West matchup vs. the Los Angeles Chargers. Nix particularly has improved mightily during the Broncos’ win streak, throwing for over 200 yards in two wins, and throwing for three touchdowns and most importantly, no interceptions.

USC

Sep 29, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) throws the ball during the first half against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Nix has lead Denver to some impressive wins including a 26-7 win over Tampa Bay on Sept. 22, who was red hot at the time. The rookie quarterback threw for 216 yards and completed nearly 70 percent of his passes, as he completed 25 of 36 attempts. Nix also utilized what might be his most underrated weapon which would be his legs, scrambling for 47 yards and a touchdown on nine carries as he would pick up his first career win as an NFL player.

Denver would follow it up with a gritty road win as they traveled to New York and defeated the Jets in the pouring rain where Nix would pick up his first career touchdown pass as well as a win over Aaron Rodgers.

Advertisement

They would put it all together during their first AFC West division game of the season vs. the Las Vegas Raiders.

Bo Pix

Oct 6, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) during the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Nix would throw for 206 yards and two touchdowns as he led the Broncos to a 34-18 win at home.

The development that Denver head coach Sean Payton has had with Nix over the course of five games has been something to watch. In a media availability session on Wednesday, Nix reiterated that staying consistent is what has been working for the young quarterback.

“Consistency is the key, you know. I’ve been able to make strides just in five week, but (I) gotta continue to find those areas of improvement each game. You’re always going to want to look back and want a few back, and make some mistakes in games and wish you could do them different.”

Nix also said that he wants to keep the turnovers down, something he has been able to do recently after a turnover-filled start to the season.

Advertisement

“Being consistent I think is the main thing and continuing not to turn the ball over and putting your team in a good spot.”

Nix hand the Broncos will take on fellow Oregon Ducks alum Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

MORE: Oregon Ducks Vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Astronomical Ticket Prices, Hotel Costs

MORE: Ohio State Coach Chip Kelly: ‘I Didn’t Build’ Oregon Ducks Program

MORE: Oregon Ducks vs. Ohio State Uniforms Release PHOTOS: ‘Fly Era’ Season Debut

Advertisement

MORE: How To Watch Oregon Ducks vs. Ohio State Buckeyes: Preview, Prediction, TV Channel

MORE: Oregon Ducks Fans Color To Wear vs. Ohio State Buckeyes In Autzen Stadium

MORE: EXCLUSIVE Oregon Quarterback Dante Moore Addresses Facing Former Coach Chip Kelly, Ohio State



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Seattle, WA

Halftime Observations: Seattle Seahawks Endure Disastrous Half, Trail 16-3 to San Francisco 49ers

Published

on

Halftime Observations: Seattle Seahawks Endure Disastrous Half, Trail 16-3 to San Francisco 49ers


Coming out flat in all phases for a third straight game, the Seattle Seahawks turned the ball over twice and the San Francisco 49ers scored on three of their first four possessions to build a 16-3 halftime advantage on Thursday Night Football at Lumen Field.

Initially, the game started off promising for coach Mike Macdonald’s squad, as a 30-yard completion from Geno Smith to DK Metcalf pushed Seattle deep into San Francisco territory on the opening possession and at least a field goal seemed like a guarantee. But two plays later, the quarterback overthrew Tyler Lockett and the ball landed in the hands of San Francisco safety Malik Mustapha for a back-breaking interception, setting the visitors up for a 13-play, 90-yard drive that ended with a Matthew Wright field goal.

From there, the Seahawks couldn’t muster much on offense with Smith uncharacteristically inaccurate, including misfiring over Jaxon Smith-Njigba on an out route on 3rd and 3 in the second quarter to lead to a Michael Dickson punt. Over their next three possessions, they moved the ball 30 net yards, punting all three times without getting past midfield. They also lost a possession when receiver Laviska Shenault fumbled on a kickoff and the 49ers recovered, turning the turnover into another Wright field goal.

Salvaging an otherwise dreadful half on offense, Smith did engineer a late field goal drive inside two minutes to play, but the Seahawks weren’t able to take advantage of three plays from the 49ers two-yard line, including DK Metcalf being a few inches away from a touchdown on third and goal.

Advertisement

Sandwiched in between those turnovers, Seattle’s defense made plenty of miscues as well, giving up a 37-yard run to Jordan Mason on the first drive to set up by Wright’s opening field goal. Two drives later, safety Julian Love appeared to be fooled by an underthrown pass by Brock Purdy and took a poor angle in coverage on a deep ball to Deebo Samuel, whiffing on the tackle attempt and leading to a 77-yard touchdown pass.

Overall, the 49ers outgained the Seahawks 244 to 133 in the half, doubling them up with both teams converting just three third downs. If there’s a silver lining, most of that extra yardage came on Samuel’s long touchdown and otherwise, the defense has limited the opposition to three field goals and stopped them from reaching the end zone on two red zone trips to keep them within striking distance with two quarters remaining.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending