HB 2107 VOTE:NO
In CommitteePublic Hearing02/14/2023 1:00pm HR C
Status (overview) of bill:https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Measures/Overview/HB2107
Committee assigned to bill: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Committees/HRULES/Overview
This bill furthers the automatic registration of the motor voter system in two ways. First, it extends automatic voter registration to the Oregon Health Authority when signing up for the Oregon Health Plan. This seems like double registration that has the potential of more people getting two ballots if they have already been to DMV for a license or ID card. We should not mix the privacy of health care records with any other operation.
“the Oregon Health Authority shall provide to the secretary electronic records, derived from information provided to the Oregon Health Plan, containing the legal name, age, residence and citizenship information for, and, if any, the electronic signature of, each person who the authority deems may be eligible to be a qualified elector under Article II, section 2, of the Oregon Constitution.” This seems like a stretch to use Article II, Section (2) “Provision may be made by law to require that persons who vote upon questions of levying special taxes or issuing public bonds shall be taxpayers.”
However, “the authority may not provide to the secretary any electronic records demonstrating that a person is not a citizen of the United States.” Then the secretary shall obtain an electronic signature from the Department of Transportation for each person for whom the authority does not provide an electronic signature used for purpose of registering electors to vote – if Transportation has their signature, then they have already entered the motor voter system.
The secretary shall provide the information to the county clerk of the county in which the person may be registered as an elector. The secretary or county clerk shall notify each person of the process to decline registration or adopt a political party affiliation. If no response, the person is registered to vote as a qualified elector under Article II, section 2, of the Oregon Constitution, again stretching this application.
The second part of HB 2107 is to establish a pilot program at Powder River Correctional Facility to require that each adult in custody be granted updated state identification card and voter registration upon release. Prisoners should be taught civic responsibility and duty providing incentive to want to seek out registration or reinstatement of their right to vote, not be force onto them.
The facility is located in Baker City, Oregon. The facility is a mixed custody facility with the capability of housing up to 286 inmates at any given time. The Powder River Correctional Facility is also a mixed custody facility and it holds low to high risk inmates that may be serving life sentences without parole.
If the system is set up, it makes it easier to then pass voting for prisoners.
Amendment proposes to extend the entities that can register people to vote to the Oregon Health Authority, the State Department of Fish and Wildlife, a gun dealer, the sheriff of a county or the Secretary of State.