The Department of Justice (DOJ) has taken legal action against Virginia, alleging that the state has flouted federal laws by trying to remove voters from the electoral rolls just before the upcoming presidential election.
On Friday, the DOJ filed a lawsuit against Virginia, its Board of Elections, and the Commissioner of Elections, in response to an executive order from Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin that aimed to de-register voters identified as “non-citizens.”
The DOJ claims that Virginia’s actions breach a “Quiet Period Provision” set by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which prohibits states from removing voters within 90 days of an election for any reason.
According to the DOJ, Virginia officials have been sending “Affirmation of Citizenship” forms to U.S. citizens who are eligible to vote, demanding a response within 14 days or face cancellation of their registration. This has reportedly resulted in the wrongful cancellation of citizen voter registrations.
Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, emphasized in a statement that this law is meant to safeguard voters from being mistakenly removed from rolls right before elections.
“By Cancelling registrations in this timeframe, Virginia runs the risk of disenfranchising qualified voters and creates unnecessary confusion,” Clarke stated.
In response, Governor Youngkin characterized the DOJ’s lawsuit as “politically motivated,” claiming it undermines the legitimacy of elections in Virginia. He did not address the National Voter Registration Act or acknowledge that U.S. citizens might have been wrongly removed from voter rolls.
“This lawsuit is a desperate attempt to attack election legitimacy in our state,” Youngkin remarked. “With our Attorney General’s support, we will vigorously defend our approach, which aims to ensure fair and secure elections in Virginia.”
Former President Donald Trump weighed in, labeling the DOJ’s lawsuit as “cheating” and supporting Youngkin’s attempts to remove voters. Trump suggested in a Truth Social post that the lawsuit was orchestrated by Vice President Kamala Harris, claiming it was part of an effort to enable illegal votes.
“Kamala Harris is trying to flood our elections with non-citizens,” Trump claimed, labeling these actions as “un-American” and a form of “election interference” with the election approaching rapidly.
As of Friday, an average of recent polls indicated Harris leading Trump by 7.5 percentage points in Virginia, with some polls showing an even larger lead.
AFP