Federal Judge Reinstates Over 1,600 Voters in Virginia Amid Legal Challenges
On Friday morning, a federal judge issued a ruling favoring plaintiffs contesting a Virginia program responsible for removing more than 1,600 individuals from the voter rolls since August. This action followed an executive order from Governor Glenn Youngkin, allowing those affected to be temporarily reinstated.
The U.S. Department of Justice initiated a lawsuit against the state and the Youngkin administration, alleging that voter removals occurred dangerously close to the 90-day “quiet period” preceding Election Day. Similarly, voter rights and immigrant advocacy organizations filed a lawsuit, arguing that the targeted individuals were removed due to incomplete U.S. citizenship information in their Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) paperwork. Some individuals might have acquired citizenship since their last license issuance or renewal, while others might have made errors in their documentation.
This case, spearheaded by the League of Women Voters of Virginia and the Virginia Coalition For Immigrants Rights, led to the judge’s decision on Friday.
Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles has mandated that the state collaborate with local registrars to dispatch notifications to those affected within a five-day window.
Governor Youngkin remarked, “Let’s be clear about what just happened: only eleven days before a Presidential election, a federal judge ordered Virginia to reinstate over 1,500 individuals — who self-identified themselves as noncitizens — back onto the voter rolls,” in a statement released on Friday.
Virginia’s state law requires the DMV to submit monthly lists of individuals who have not confirmed their citizenship to the state Board of Elections, which then forwards this information to local registrars. This law was originally proposed by former Republican state Sen. Ken Cucinelli and signed by then-governor Tim Kaine, a Democrat.
Governor Youngkin has defended the process by highlighting that he is implementing a law signed by a Democratic governor.
Jorge Figueredo of Edu-Futuro, part of the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, expressed relief at the ruling, stating, “Today’s injunction on Executive Order 35 is an essential step to have fair and just elections that will permit naturalized citizens to cast their vote in our federal elections without the unfair burden of being forced to re-register.”
Attorney General Jason Miyares criticized the court’s decision, suggesting that Judge Giles was influenced by the DOJ to reinstate the affected registrations and denounced the lawsuits as a “shameful, politically motivated stunt.”
The issue has also caught national attention, with similar DOJ actions against Alabama. Michael Whatley, Republican National Committee chairman, reiterated his support for Youngkin and Miyares in an official statement.
Determined to continue their legal battle, both Youngkin and Miyares intend to appeal to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and are prepared to escalate the matter to the United States Supreme Court if necessary.
