Press releases or official statements from the Department of Justice

Supreme Court Allows Virginia to Purge 1,600 Voters Ahead of November Election

Oct 30, 2024, 02:14 PM

The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed Virginia to proceed with the removal of approximately 1,600 suspected noncitizens from its voter rolls ahead of the 2024 election. In a 6-3 decision issued without explanation, the Court granted the state's request to lift a lower court's order that had halted the program for violating the National Voter Registration Act's 90-day 'quiet period' before elections. Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented. Voting ends on November 5, and although Virginia has same-day registration, the Department of Justice and voting rights advocates argued that some eligible American citizens might be erroneously removed under the purge. The Supreme Court's decision permits Virginia's Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin to resume the voter roll maintenance program despite concerns over potential disenfranchisement.