Virginia Ordered to Reinstate 1,600 Purged Voters; State Appeals to Supreme Court

Oct 27, 2024, 05:59 PM

A federal judge in Virginia has ordered the state to restore more than 1,600 voter registrations that were purged ahead of the November 5 presidential election. The voters had been removed on suspicion of being noncitizens as part of a recent program aimed at ensuring only eligible voters cast ballots. The judge ruled that the purge was unlawful, halting the state's efforts to remove these names from the voter rolls. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares have vowed to appeal the decision and are planning to file an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit denied Virginia's request to stay the judge's order, leaving the state until Wednesday to reinstate the voters unless the Supreme Court intervenes. Governor Youngkin stated, "It's commonsense: noncitizens shouldn't be on our voter rolls."