LOS ANGELES COUNTY –Today, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion by Supervisor Kathryn Barger calling for an investigation into voter registration errors as a result of the new “motor voter” program managed by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Created by the Motor Voter Act of 2015 and implemented in April 2018, this program automatically registers any eligible voters who apply for a driver’s license or identification card and transmits this data to the county where that person lives—unless the individual specifically declines to participate.
The state reported that 23,000 instances of voter registration errors occurred between mid-April and early August. The “motor voter” program has experienced other implementation issues as well, with 77,000 voter records being misreported in May by the DMV to elections officials.
“We have heard from concerned voters in Los Angeles County about issues with the system, and this investigation will help us better understand the scope of the problem and give us a corrective action plan to improve voter confidence,” said Supervisor Barger.
The report back will include recommendations on what steps the County can take to notify and assist local voters who were impacted, how the County can work with the state to help correct the errors and address the root cause of the problem, procedures that can be implemented at the County level to proactively identify and correct such errors in the future, and expanded outreach measures that can begin to restore public trust in our electoral process.
The motion includes a report back to the Board in two weeks and a five-signature letter to the Governor and the Secretary of State in support of the state’s audit of the DMV.