Governor Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares have vowed Virginia will fight the lawsuit launched by the Biden-Harris Department of Justice (DOJ) over the commonwealth’s recent effort to remove non-citizens from its voter rolls, with both noting it was filed less than one month before Election Day.
The DOJ on Friday launched litigation against Virginia after the commonwealth removed non-citizens from its voter rolls, with the federal government alleging the commonwealth violated the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which it argued prohibits canceling voter registrations within 90 days of an election, even if those voters were illegally registered.
Youngkin, who is named personally by the DOJ in its legal action, on Friday said it was “an unprecedented lawsuit” filed despite the commonwealth following the letter of the law.
“With the support of our Attorney General, we will defend these commonsense steps, that we are legally required to take, with every resource available to us,” said Youngkin. “Virginia’s election will be secure and fair, and I will not stand idly by as this politically motivated action tries to interfere in our elections, period.”
Miyares on Saturday wrote in a post to the social media platform X that he looks “forward to defending Virginia and our day in court.”
The attorney general wrote, “The Biden-Harris administration is attacking Virginia for removing non-citizens from the voter rolls. They will do anything to win Virginia this year, including allowing non-citizens to vote.”
The Biden-Harris administration is attacking Virginia for removing non-citizens from the voter rolls. They will do anything to win Virginia this year, including allowing non-citizens to vote.
I look forward to defending Virginia and our day in court.
— Jason Miyares (@JasonMiyaresVA) October 12, 2024
Democrats have ignored Republicans’ concerns over non-citizen voting ahead of Election Day, noting it remains illegal in federal elections, despite at least seven states reporting non-citizens on their voter rolls so far this year. Washington, D.C. and three states additionally allow non-citizens to register to vote in local elections.
Some of these states inadvertently added non-citizens to their voter rolls through their respective Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMVs), including Pennsylvania, California, Texas, Ohio, Illinois, and Arizona.
Youngkin in August signed an executive order directing the Commissioner of the Department of Elections to certify election security measures and refer any non-citizens who attempt to register to vote for prosecution.
“The Virginia model for Election Security works. This isn’t a Democrat or Republican issue, it’s an American and Virginian issue,” said Youngkin after signing his executive order earlier this year. “Every legal vote deserves to be counted without being watered down by illegal votes or inaccurate machines.”
While former President Donald Trump campaigned in Virginia after the terrible debate performance offered by President Joe Biden in June, surveys tracked by polling aggregate RealClearPolling suggest Vice President Kamala Harris is expanding her lead over Trump in the commonwealth, with the Democrat now enjoying a 6.4 percent lead over the former president.
– – –
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Glenn Youngkin” by Glenn Youngkin and “Jason Miyares” is by the Virginia Attorney General’s Office.
