Option list made from view and based on alias group doesn't save as string/text value.

I was changing some existing functionality of an option list hat previously generated users via a table in the database to now generate users based on who's in the appropriate alias group for that part of the workflow.

My implementation appeared to be working until testing revealed that the user selected from the option list wasn't always the one who was stored in that field after that step of the workflow; Additionally, if the person who was assigned to that step of the workflow is removed from the alias group a completely different user is selected instead, and there doesn't seem to be any pattern to it.