Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore Statement on Division of Motor Vehicles Voter Registration System

RHODE ISLAND, July 24 - PROVIDENCE, RI – The Rhode Island Department of State today issued the following statement:

"For 250 years, our democratic republic has flourished through debate, discourse, and collaboration - even when we have held different views on political issues. However, since 2020, one perpetual line of misinformation has unfortunately divided us. The big lie - that the 2020 election was stolen - has, for many Americans, contributed to a pattern of distrust in our elections that means that any issue or error, no matter how big or small, is taken as evidence of a conspiracy to defraud voters and the very democratic systems on which we were founded.

I believe strongly in our systems, processes, and the rule of law. And I welcome the opportunity to have direct dialogue with any elected official, community group, or voter who wishes to express their concerns. But I ask that anyone who chooses to jump to rhetoric designed to further divide us considers the irreparable harm that is being done to our institutions.

Rhode Islanders deserve clarity on this issue, and since the issue was identified, our office has been proactive in coordinating with the Division of Motor Vehicles and getting answers and reassurance for Rhode Island voters.

With that in mind, I'd like to outline some facts and steps that have been taken thus far:

1. Since 2019, at the request of the Elections Division of the RI Department of State, the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) conducts a regular audit of a randomized selection of DMV records to ensure that database entries match paper records. This process would identify any potential patterns of irregularities in registrations so that they could be immediately rectified. To date, over 5,000 records have been audited, with no errors detected.

2. The RI Department of State has remained in close communication with the Division of Motor Vehicles since Tuesday, July 21, when issues with New Jersey's voter registration system were announced. I have received assurance that there continues to be no indication that a similar issue has occurred here.

3. This morning, the RI Department of State visited the DMV for a discussion with DMV staff and its vendor. The DMV staff demonstrated the back-end and front-end of transactions, which reassured the Department of State that non-citizens applying for a DMV credential are not offered the opportunity to register to vote.

4. To help maintain Rhode Islanders' trust in our systems, the RI Department of State requested the DMV conduct an audit of records of non-citizen transactions for the period between 2017, when the DMV implemented its current transaction system, to the start of our regular audits of all transactions in 2019.

I'd also like to ensure Rhode Islanders understand that the federal request for data predated the issue in New Jersey and is unrelated.

The US Department of Justice's request for Rhode Islanders' private voter information remains a violation of the US Constitution and federal law, which has been affirmed in 17 separate federal District Court decisions, as well as State law. Additionally, seven Republican Secretaries of State have concurred with Rhode Island's legal analysis and are also being sued for denying the federal administration's unconstitutional attempts to interfere with elections processes across the country.

The RI Department of State adheres to all federal and State elections laws and continues to ensure that Rhode Island's elections are secure, fair, and accessible."

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