The United States Justice Department sues Virginia for removing voters close to presidential election
The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Virginia for removing voters from registration rolls too close to the November 5 presidential election. This action was taken in response to an executive order issued by Virginia’s Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin in August, which initiated the removal of individuals if their citizenship could not be verified. However, the Justice Department argues that this violated the National Voter Registration Act by removing voters within a 90-day period before the election.
Despite Governor Youngkin defending the order as legal, critics see it as an attempt to undermine the election’s legitimacy. Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, have been pushing claims of election malfeasance, including noncitizen voting, without substantial evidence. While several states are imposing stricter requirements to prove citizenship for voters, studies have shown that noncitizen voting is extremely rare in the US.