Minnesota election officials make changes to automatic voter registration system after issues arise

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Elections officials are making changes to Minnesota’s automatic voter registration system after finding some potentially problematic entries, but they say they are not aware of anyone ineligible who has been registered to vote via the system.

The Secretary of State’s Office said last week that more than 90,000 people have been registered or pre-registered since April, when Minnesota’s new system went live. Residents who apply for and receive state-issued IDs such as driver’s licenses are now automatically registered to vote without having to opt in if they meet legal criteria. And 16- and 17-year-olds can pre-register to vote once they turn 18.

Around 1 percent of those automatic registrations have been flagged for potential problems, said Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson, whose department issues driver’s licenses and other official identification cards, Minnesota Public Radio reported.

Secretary of State Steve Simon said those roughly 1,000 voter registrations will be kept “inactive” until the names, addresses and citizenship status are confirmed. He also said additional checks will be made to ensure that voters registered through the system meet the eligibility criteria. Flagged individuals will be notified that, if they are eligible, they will need to register to online, at their local election office, or in-person at their polling place on Election Day.

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Republican legislators raised questions about the automatic voter registration system earlier this month. Jacobson told them in a letter on Thursday that he is not aware of any instances of Minnesotans being registered to vote who are ineligible to cast a ballot, but that the process improvements they are making will strengthen the verification system.

Republicans House and Senate leaders responded on Sept. 13 saying they still have questions. They said 1 percent of registrants could work out to around 1,000 people. They asked for the actual number, and pressed for confirmation on whether any were allowed to vote in the August primary election.

“The election is 52 days away, and early voting begins on Sept. 20. Minnesotans want to trust our elections are secure and fair,” they said in a statement.

While Minnesota grants driver’s licenses to residents regardless of immigration status, officials say the identification document requirements provide sufficient safeguards against illegal voting.

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In Oregon, which has a similar automatic registration system, officials acknowledged Friday that the state has mistakenly registered more than 300 non-citizens as voters since 2021 in what they described as a “data entry issue” that happened when people applied for driver’s licenses.

An initial analysis by the Oregon Department of Transportation revealed that 306 non-citizens were registered to vote, spokesperson Kevin Glenn said. Of those, two have voted in elections since 2021. State and federal laws prohibit non-citizens from voting in national and local elections.