
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is defending his decision to remove noncitizens from the state’s voter rolls after the Biden-Harris Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit to stop these efforts. The DOJ claims that Youngkin’s executive order violates federal election law, as it comes too close to the upcoming November election.
Youngkin’s Executive Order 35, signed in August, calls for the removal of noncitizens and other ineligible voters from the voter rolls to protect election integrity. The DOJ argues that this order violates the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which restricts changes to voter lists within 90 days of an election to avoid confusion or errors that could affect legitimate voters.
🚨 BREAKING: In perhaps a sign that Democrats view Virginia as "in play" for Trump, Biden-Harris DOJ files lawsuit against Gov. Glenn Youngkin's administration for purging ILLEGAL ALIENS from the voter rolls. pic.twitter.com/ECPKODphCr
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 11, 2024
Youngkin, however, is standing firm, accusing the Biden-Harris administration of attempting to interfere with Virginia’s election security efforts. He stated that Virginia is following a law passed in 2006, which allows for the removal of ineligible voters. “With less than 30 days until the election, the Biden-Harris Department of Justice is filing an unprecedented lawsuit against me and the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Youngkin wrote on X.
The DOJ, led by Kristen Clarke in the Civil Rights Division, insists that the timing of Virginia’s voter roll maintenance is the issue. According to the DOJ, making significant changes so close to Election Day could result in eligible voters being wrongly removed from the rolls.
@SpeakerJohnson @GlennYoungkin This lawsuit has nothing to do with non-citizens and was filed by DOJ because Youngkin waited until the last minute to do a big purge of his voter rolls. It's federal law that you can’t do that within 90 days of an election. this is so that people… pic.twitter.com/1235qTMYav
— caring 💙🇺🇸🌈✌🏻 (@caringguy1957) October 12, 2024
Many conservatives view the lawsuit as a political move by the Biden-Harris administration to protect noncitizens from being removed from the voter rolls. Youngkin’s supporters argue that the lawsuit shows how out of touch the administration is with the importance of secure elections.
This legal battle over voter roll maintenance could have far-reaching consequences. With other states watching, the outcome of this case may influence how voter rolls are managed in the future.