Oregon’s elections director, Molly Woon, is resigning amid ongoing scandals connected to her tenure, including the controversial registration of noncitizens to vote.
Woon's resignation comes as part of a broader wave of departures among top officials, following revelations about the state's flawed voter registration system, as The Federalist reports.
The resignation will be effective Jan. 14, 2025. Woon cited her departure as occurring "in lieu of removal" by incoming Secretary of State Tobias Read, a Democrat, who was elected in November, ready to replace current Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade.
One of the significant controversies shadowing Woon's tenure is the system flaw that registered over 300 noncitizens to vote via the Oregon DMV's "motor voter" system. This problem was identified in a September audit revealing systemic issues. In total, over 1,600 records were marked as potentially ineligible due to these glitches.
From June 2021 to October 2024, the DMV handled voter registrations for more than 54,600 individuals with unidentified citizenship status, compounding the voter registration intricacies. The Institute for Responsive Government's audit initially brought the noncompliance issue to light.
The noncitizen registration incident drew scrutiny toward how automatic voter registration has been managed. Following these revelations, Woon and fellow officials organized a discussion with the Center for Secure and Modern Elections to analyze the situation.
Before leading the elections office, Woon's political ties included serving as the deputy director of the Democratic Party of Oregon from 2018 to 2020. Nevertheless, questions arose about potential conflicts of interest when it came to overseeing an inquiry related to political donations. In 2022, it was revealed that an executive from cryptocurrency exchange FTX provided a $500,000 donation to the state Democratic Party. Despite her past role within the party, Woon did not step down from the investigations connected to this contribution.
Her departure adds to a list involving other top officials such as Cheryl Myers, Ben Morris, Kathy Wai, and Kip Memmott, who have also resigned recently, potentially signaling a shift in Oregon's administrative culture in handling elections.
During her period as the elections director, Woon expressed a commitment to voter accessibility, advocating for automatic registration. Highlighting a key principle, she stated that preventing anyone from receiving voting materials would be regrettable. Woon has been visible in promoting voter enrollment techniques, encouraging individuals to "Do Nothing" and still achieve registration through the automatic system. However, the realities of the flawed mechanism have manifested significant administrative challenges.
Incoming Secretary of State Tobias Read is poised to address these systemic issues upon taking office. Addressing the fallout of recent missteps will be paramount as Read prepares to implement reforms in the state's election processes.
With the election director's resignation and the backdrop of administrative uncertainties, Oregon is facing a critical juncture in restoring trust in its electoral integrity. The state's leadership must confront the persistent questions surrounding its voter registration methods.
Public confidence in the electoral system may hinge on the effectiveness and transparency of the remedies introduced under new leadership. Observers will watch closely how the reshuffled team under Read's guidance navigates this period of transformation. As the state re-evaluates its approach to voter registration, emphasis may shift towards safeguarding electoral participation while ensuring that processes accommodate all residents legitimately entitled to vote. Balancing security and access will be critical moving forward.
The ongoing scrutiny and upcoming administrative changes highlight a broader national conversation about the role of technology and process oversight in election administration. Oregon's response could serve as a case study for other states grappling with similar "motor voter" complexities.
