Why It Matters
Oregon officials committed to sharing voter data with conservative watchdog groups for five years and removing hundreds of thousands of inactive registrations, ending a federal lawsuit that claimed the state violated election law. The settlement affects roughly 800,000 inactive voter records, some dating back nearly a decade.
While Oregon is not Idaho, neighboring state election practices often influence regional policy debates. Idaho has faced similar scrutiny over voter roll maintenance in recent years.
What Happened
Secretary of State Tobias Read finalized a settlement last week with Judicial Watch, the Constitution Party of Oregon, and individual plaintiffs who sued the state in 2024. The lawsuit alleged Oregon failed to remove voters from state rolls as required by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.
Under the agreement, Read will provide annual data to the plaintiffs for five years showing how county officials handle suspected changes of address. In return, the lawsuit was dropped.
Read announced in January that approximately 160,000 inactive registrations would be canceled immediately. Officials also updated notice language to allow the removal of an additional 640,000 inactive voters who fail to respond or vote in future federal elections.
By the Numbers
• 800,000 voters labeled inactive in Oregon’s system
• 160,000 registrations canceled in January 2025
• 640,000 additional inactive voters subject to future removal
• 19 of 36 counties removed zero voters between November 2020 and November 2022
• Oregon has approximately 3 million active registered voters
What Changed in 2017
The lawsuit pointed to a 2017 administrative change under then-Secretary of State Dennis Richardson, a Republican. His office altered language on notices sent to voters when officials suspect incorrect registrations, typically due to moves.
The updated notices removed language warning voters their registrations would be canceled if they did not respond or vote in upcoming federal elections. Read’s office said that without this notice, Oregon could not legally remove people from voter rolls.
A spokesperson for Read said the office does not know why Richardson’s administration made the change. She added that cleaning up inactive voter data was a priority before the lawsuit was filed.
Zoom Out
Judicial Watch, based in Washington, D.C., has sued multiple states over voter roll maintenance for more than a decade. The organization secured similar settlements in Colorado and Maryland.
Robert Popper, an attorney with Judicial Watch, said Oregon was “low-hanging fruit” but praised Read’s actions. He confirmed the group will continue monitoring data shared under the settlement and will sue again if necessary.
What’s Next
County election officials must now process the removal of inactive voters and update their notice procedures. Read’s office will provide annual data reports to Judicial Watch and other plaintiffs through 2030 under the settlement terms.
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