DMV voter registration problematic statewide

MISSOULA — Some people who believed they had registered to vote through the state Motor Vehicles Division found out on Election Day they had to stand in line to register and cast a provisional ballot.

Katie Wyskiver of Lolo said she registered her new address with the Motor Vehicle Division and received a card in the mail telling her to vote in Lolo, but she ended up having to drive to Missoula to vote Tuesday at her old polling place.

“I find it egregious, irresponsible and unethical that the DMV has holes in this process that could allow for voter registration to be lost or unprocessed,” Wyskiver said in an email to the Missoulian.

Officials with the Division of Motor Vehicles did not believe the problem was widespread, but said they didn’t know for sure.

Brenda Nordlund, administrator of the Motor Vehicle Division, said Thursday that human error occurs but many people successfully register through the program.

In Flathead County, Election Manager Monica Eisenzimer said her department saw an increase in voter registration problems linked to the registrations conducted through the DMV. Sometimes those registrations fall through the cracks and don’t show up on the appropriate poll rosters, she said.

“We have no way to know until Election Day” how many problems that has caused, Eisenzimer said.

Flathead County Election Administrator Paula Robinson said Secretary of State Linda McCulloch has worked with DMV offices to help them better facilitate those voter registrations, but it’s remained a problem.

People standing in line at polls in Billings told The Billings Gazette they arrived to learn they weren’t registered to vote.

Ellis Urist, 78, thought he had registered in January 2011 when he moved to Billings from Wyoming and got his Montana driver’s license, but he ended up standing in line for two hours Tuesday to register.

“I’m too old to be frustrated, but whoever is in charge of getting voting information out to the public didn’t do the job,” he said.

Melissa Smylie of Montana Women Vote said people were leaving the polls in Billings without voting because they didn’t have time to wait in line.

“We have had a lot of issues with DMV and the voter registration,” Smylie said. “An unacceptable amount of people believed they were registered to vote with DMV, and they are not.”

The form used for people applying for a new Montana driver’s license asks if the person wants to register to vote. If they check the “yes” box, a staffer who enters the license information into the computer system marks a field that says the person wants to register. The computer then prints out a voter registration form.

“Generally speaking, then, they give that form to us, and then we are responsible for getting that to a local election official,” Nordlund said.

But several errors could take place. The staffer entering the data in the computer might miss that the voter registration box was checked. And some applicants might mistakenly check the box that said they are already registered to vote.

Nordlund said people might decide to take the voter registration form home with them to fill it out later, and then forget to return it. The form also could get mislaid at motor vehicles offices or election offices, or get lost in the mail.

Nordlund reminded people they can check the secretary of state’s website to see if they are registered to vote.

Even though errors occur, Department of Justice spokeswoman Judy Beck said the program to register people to vote through driver’s license applications has worked well.

“I think you have to balance that with the service that’s been provided through the Motor Vehicle Division and how successful that has been,” she said.

Beck and Nordlund don’t believe the problem requires any major fixing, but said they will strive to improve.