BEND, OR -- Despite the number of people erroneously registered to vote through Oregon's DMV now surpassing 1,500 statewide, Deschutes County Clerk Steve Dennison believes the election is secure, "I do have confidence in the fact that the correct people are registered to vote." He tells KBND News, "I have confidence in our system, and in our checks and balances, and what's taken place and what's been identified over these last few weeks, that only eligible voters will be receiving ballots this November.
A total of 47 Deschutes County registrations were removed due to the error, including eight more Monday, and Dennison says none of those 47 ever cast a ballot. "With all of these records identified, and recognizing the minimal amount of participation from those voters that were added, that may or may not have been otherwise eligible, that lack of activity on those voter records gives me confidence that these people, if they were not eligible to vote, they did not seem to want to be part of the process." Dennison says his office has sent notices to all 47 explaining that they've been removed from the voter rolls until they can provide proper documentation.
Previous Coverage: Co. Clerks Remove Erroneous Registrations From Voter Rolls
Dennison notes the number of voters registered in error by the Motor Voter program is a very small percentage of the county's voter rolls, "We crested 164,000 registered voters; and that's, of course, our highest total ever. We just recently made 163,000.
The registration deadline for the November fifth election is next Tuesday, October 15, "Right now, I'd highly recommend that anybody that is expecting a ballot and, if they haven't voted in a while, if you're unsure if you're registered to vote. Go onto OregonVotes.gov or call our office and we can verify that you are registered." Voters pamphlets are now arriving in local mailboxes. A voter registration form is also included on the last page. Extra copies of the pamphlet are available at County Clerks offices and post offices.
Ballots are mailed Wednesday, October 16.
