Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown on Wednesday

to the House Rules Committee -- and she quickly received some blowback from Republican legislators.

Rep. Vicki Berger, R-Salem, was the most critical, saying she was philosophically opposed to automatically registering someone to vote without first asking them.

"You're basically pre-empting the ask," said Berger, adding that this "troubles me on a lot of levels."

Brown, a Democrat, is

to

aimed at ensuring that virtually everyone eligible to vote actually gets registered. Her proposal calls for driver license information -- and eventually information from other government agencies -- to be provided to the secretary of state's office for the purposes of voter registration.

Under the plan, the secretary of state would send a letter to new registrants asking them if they want to opt out of being registered and explaining how they could register with a particular political party.

Brown told the committee that she sees this as a way to build on Oregon's pioneering mail-voting system by broadening the pool of voters who receive a ballot.

She noted that Oregon has one of the nation's highest turnouts among registered voters but not as impressive a record when measured as a percentage of all voting eligible adults. One recent report said Oregon

in the country last year among adults who meet the eligibility for voting but aren't necessarily registered.

Berger said she was also concerned about government agencies sharing data with each other. Just because someone gets a driver's license "does not authorize a full plate of inter-agency sharing," said Berger.

Brown responded that the Oregon DMV already shares data with the secretary of state's office, saying this is how the state verifies the accuracy of online voter registrations. And she said her plan would have "robust opt-out provisions" for people who did not want to be registered.

Rep. Bill Kennemer, R-Oregon City, also questioned the proposal, saying he believes that the right to vote is more powerful if people take steps on their own to register.

Left unsaid in the hearing is the political dimensions of voter registration. Republicans have frequently been concerned that a surge in registered voters would benefit the Democrats because non-voters tend to belong to demographic groups that favor the Democratic Party.

Republicans have also raised numerous concerns over the years over the security of Oregon's system of mail voting and some Republican activists who testified expressed skepticism of government agencies simply registering voters on their own.

"Registering to vote should be the responsibility of citizens and not state agencies," said Beaverton resident Sandy Raddue. She said that as a GOP precinct committee worker, she's frequently talked with people who say they simply do not want to have anything to do with the political system.

"I've heard that too," Rules Chairman Chris Garrett, D-Lake Oswego, quipped in response.

Representatives of the state's minor political parties have also expressed concerns. Sal Peralta, the secretary of the Independent Party of Oregon, noted that a big influx of voters would raise the membership levels the parties need to keep to maintain their ballot status.

Brown said she would work with the minor parties to allay their concerns.

Her proposal was backed by the Oregon League of Women Voters and the Oregon Student Association, as well as the top elections officials of Multnomah and Linn counties.

Emma Kallaway, the student association's legislative director, said many students want to vote but don't know where or how to register. She said that's particular true on campuses in smaller towns in the state where there are fewer registration drives.

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