Another DMV fumble

Oops, sorry, won’t happen again. That’s the well-worn message from the Department of Motor Vehicles for a string of miscues including hours-long lines, fumbled signups, and now a fresh foul-up: enrolling noncitizens to vote.

The state agency the public loves to hate isn’t getting better. In the latest mistake, it’s acknowledging that 1,500 people were incorrectly registered, including noncitizens. Secretary of State Alex Padilla, who oversees elections, wants an outside inquiry, a demand that follows Gov. Jerry Brown’s requested audit for earlier bungles.

The picture isn’t pleasing, playing into fears of tainted voting, computer hacks and unmanageable registration efforts. Those doubts may be overplayed, but the DMV missteps aren’t allaying doubts.

Department officials say the 1,500 incorrect registrations can be identified and won’t be counted. They blame an error when information was transferred on renewal paperwork. Noncitizens who are entitled to licenses were included in this batch, and no one here illegally was included, the DMV says.

Such assurances are wearing thin with a department that discovers so many ways to louse up its job. Long lines are blamed on overwhelmed staff. Other errors caused botched registrations. Yet another mistake, especially around the ultrasensitive issue of noncitizen voting, involves small numbers but carries a huge impact. Stop swerving and drive straight, DMV.