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DOJ Sues Virginia, Governor Youngkin Over Pre-Election Removal of Non-Citizens

Oct 11, 2024, 10:47 PM

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against the state of Virginia less than 30 days before the election, alleging that its efforts to remove voters from the voter rolls within 90 days of a federal election violate federal law. The DOJ claims that Virginia's actions, including the implementation of daily updates to voter rolls to eliminate alleged non-citizens under an executive order issued in August by Governor Glenn Youngkin, constitute unlawful systematic purges. Federal law prohibits systematic removal of voters from the rolls within 90 days of a federal election. Similar legal action was recently taken by the DOJ against the state of Alabama for comparable reasons. Governor Youngkin defended the state's actions, asserting that they are appropriately enforcing a 2006 law to remove non-citizens from the voter rolls and criticized the DOJ's lawsuit as politically motivated. He noted that Virginia has removed over 6,000 non-citizens and 80,000 deceased voters from the rolls. Representative Gerry Connolly commended the DOJ for its action, stating that the purges have unlawfully removed thousands of lawfully voting Virginians from the rolls. The lawsuit has sparked controversy, with some arguing that the DOJ is attempting to prevent Virginia from ensuring that only citizens vote in the upcoming election.