Oregon passed the nation’s first automatic voter registration law in 2015, and was in use for the 2016 elections. Representative Kevin Mannix (R-Salem) has introduced HB 2233 ending automatic voter registration through Oregon Motor Voter. It changes the opt-out process to an opt-in procedure. The bill reestablishes the process of registration at any office of the Department of Transportation where licenses or renewal applications can be purchased or received that existed prior to the enactment of Oregon Motor Voter.

HB 2233 removes electronic reporting to the Secretary of State of every name, age, signature, residence and citizenship information for the process of transferring it to county election clerks. Instead, DMV offices will make voter registration cards available and deliver them to the county election clerk in a timely manner.

Driver's license applications and renewal forms will contain a section to register to vote while applying or renewing a license, but they will not be automatically registered without their signature. Signatures are limited to only be used for voter registration purposes.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Janice Dysinger, Oregonians for Fair Elections, says HB2233 finally puts Oregonians in charge of their voter registration information. “Voters have been disenfranchised by allowing the government to change the information through the Automatic Motor Voter Laws. We have seen the skyrocketing of non-Affiliate voters after the Automatic Voter Registration Law passed, as voters had to respond to a postcard declaration of the political party 3 weeks after visiting a DMV or their party affiliation was recorded as NAV. Choosing a political party should have been taken care of by the voter at the time of registration.”

HB 2233 requires procedures for voter registration applications to include a state identification card that allows an applicant to register to vote. The procedure must comply with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA).

NVRA is the national motor voter law, which lays out voter registration requirement for federal offices. Section 5 of the NVRA requires that States offer voter registration opportunities at State motor vehicle agencies when transacting other business, including by mail, phone or internet.

Section 6 of the NVRA requires that States offer voter registration opportunities by mail-in application. It also requires first time voters in a federal election provide identification, which can be a current and valid photo identification, or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and address of the voter.

Section 8 of the NVRA requires states to implement procedures to maintain accurate and current voter registration lists. It prohibits removing registrants from the voter registration list solely because of a failure to vote, and restricts the timing on removals from the voter list based on a change of residence. However, if the registrant fails to respond to a notice and fails to vote in two federal general election, then the registrant can be removed from the voter registration list.

HB 2233 does not address Oregon’s lifetime retention issue, but the NVRA clearly indicates that eight years should be sufficient time for a person to affirm their civic duty. Watch for a hearing date this week.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2023-02-06 01:34:54

Last Update: 2023-02-06 15:48:28