Supreme Court Greenlights Virginia’s Voter Registration Purge
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has authorized Virginia to reinstate its voter registration purge aimed at preventing non-U.S. citizens from voting, despite opposition from the court’s three liberal justices. The order, issued on Wednesday, follows an emergency appeal from Virginia’s Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, although the court did not provide a reasoning for its decision.
This move comes after a federal judge determined that Virginia had unlawfully removed over 1,600 voter registrations in a two-month period. A federal appeals court had upheld the judge’s prior ruling, which limited the state’s ability to execute a broad purge of voter rolls. The prominent theme of illegal voting by immigrants has been a rallying point for Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, who condemned the earlier ruling as a “totally unacceptable travesty.”
The Justice Department and several advocacy groups filed a lawsuit earlier this month, asserting that Virginia’s actions violated federal election laws. According to the National Voter Registration Act, states are required to maintain a 90-day “quiet period” before elections to prevent the erroneous removal of legitimate voters. Youngkin’s executive order, issued just 90 days before the election, mandated daily reviews of DMV data against voter registrations to flag non-citizens.
U.S. District Judge Patricia Giles ruled that while individual names could be removed, systematic purges were prohibited. She ordered that reinstatements should occur, and affected voters informed.
Youngkin portrayed the Supreme Court’s decision as a “victory for commonsense and election fairness,” while critics decried the ruling as “outrageous,” noting that many removed may still be eligible citizens. Nearly 6 million Virginians are registered to vote as the November 5 election approaches.
Note: The image is for illustrative purposes only and is not the original image associated with the presented article. Due to copyright reasons, we are unable to use the original images. However, you can still enjoy the accurate and up-to-date content and information provided.
