Governor Glenn Youngkin’s administration faces legal challenges over its voter roll clean-up procedures in Virginia. The Justice Department filed a lawsuit alleging that a state program aimed at removing people from the voter rolls was implemented too close to the November 5 elections and wrongfully included eligible voters. House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, criticized Youngkin’s administration for restricting voter access.
Scott, who previously had his voting rights restored by former Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell after a felony conviction, highlighted the challenges he faced to regain his right to vote and indicated that others might not be as fortunate under the current environment. Richard Cullen, a counselor to Youngkin, wrote in a memo that Virginia’s process for removing noncitizens from the voter rolls has been consistent under both Democratic and Republican governors.
Cullen asserted that the process complies with federal law and is not bound by the 90-day “quiet period” designated by the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), as Virginia conducts individualized reviews instead of systematic purges. Youngkin defended his executive order, stating it simply enforces a 2006 law mandating the removal of noncitizens from the voter rolls. He described the lawsuit as “unprecedented” and pledged to defend the state’s actions.
The Justice Department’s lawsuit comes alongside another filed by the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights and the League of Women Voters of Virginia.
youngkin’s voter roll controversy
This lawsuit alleges that the state’s voter roll purge violates the NVRA, disenfranchising eligible voters and raising concerns over the transparency and accuracy of the voter registration system.
Monica Sarmiento, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, emphasized the impact on naturalized citizens, calling the process discriminatory. The lawsuits claim that the purge process disproportionately affects minority communities and low-income voters, who may lack internet access to check their registration status. State Sen.
Bill Stanley, R-Franklin County, pointed out that those mistakenly removed can still register to vote on Election Day under the state’s “same day” registration law. He questioned the motive behind the federal lawsuit, suggesting it aims to disrupt Virginia’s voter registration process for political reasons. Rich Anderson, chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, supported Youngkin’s executive order, saying it consolidated various operating practices to ensure confidence in the electoral system.
Elections Commissioner Susan Beals noted the state already had measures in place to prevent noncitizens from voting. Previous issues during Youngkin’s tenure include a “computer glitch” in October 2022 that affected over 200,000 new voter registrations and the mistaken removal of over 3,000 people from voter rolls in October 2023. The administration’s quiet adjustment of the voting rights restoration process for individuals with felony convictions has also faced criticism.
Amid these controversies, critics argue that the latest executive order and changes in the restoration process could be used to limit voter access, while Youngkin’s supporters maintain that these measures are necessary to safeguard the integrity of Virginia’s elections.
