RICHMOND, Va. — The U.S. Department of Justice has initiated legal action against Virginia election officials, alleging illegal removal of names from voter rolls in violation of federal election law. This lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, follows an executive order from Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin that mandates daily updates to voter lists to disenfranchise ineligible voters, contradicting federal requirements.
The National Voter Registration Act stipulates a mandatory 90-day “quiet period” before elections for maintaining voter rolls, aimed at preventing erroneous, last-minute removals that could disenfranchise eligible voters.
“Congress adopted the National Voter Registration Act’s quiet period restriction to prevent error-prone, eleventh-hour efforts that all too often disenfranchise qualified voters,” stated an official from the Justice Department. “The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy, and the Department will actively protect the rights of qualified voters.”
Earlier in the week, immigrant-rights organizations and the League of Women Voters filed a similar lawsuit. The Justice Department emphasized the quiet-period provision’s role in safeguarding against errors that might disenfranchise eligible voters by giving them adequate time to rectify issues before an election.
On August 7, a directive from Youngkin formalized the removal of individuals from voter registration rolls who could not confirm their citizenship status with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. State officials reportedly rely on DMV data, which may not always be reliable, to determine voter eligibility and have not made efforts to confirm a person’s noncitizen status before sending out cancellation notices.
In response to the DOJ’s lawsuit, Youngkin defended the state’s actions, claiming they align with legal requirements for removing noncitizens from voter rolls. “This is a desperate attempt to undermine the legitimacy of elections in Virginia, a foundational aspect of American democracy,” Youngkin remarked.
He pledged to utilize every available resource to uphold the integrity of Virginia’s electoral process, asserting that the election will remain secure and fair despite perceived political interference. Nationally, conservatives are increasingly scrutinizing voter registration lists ahead of the upcoming elections, with the Republican National Committee also involved in these challenges.
