A lawsuit filed against Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and state election officials alleges that efforts to remove noncitizens from voter registration rolls violate federal law.
The lawsuit calls the voter roll maintenance effort a “purge program” and alleges it violates the National Voter Registration Act.
Plaintiffs include the Virginia Immigrant Rights Coalition, the Virginia League of Women Voters, and the Virginia Education Fund League of Women Voters.
Election season is in full swing and in-person early voting begins in Virginia.
A sticker reading “I Voted for President 2024” appears on a table during Virginia's first day of in-person early voting at Longbridge Park Aquatics and Fitness Center in Arlington, Virginia, on September 20, 2024. It will be pasted. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“Less than 60 days ago, defendants announced the latest in their efforts to implement an ongoing program to systematically remove certain voters from the rolls. Requires that the retention program not be implemented for 90 days “a “quiet period'' before an election,'' the complaint states.
“This is an illegal, discriminatory, and error-ridden program that directs the voter registration cancellations of naturalized U.S. citizens and jeopardizes the rights of countless others,” the lawsuit alleges.
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Sample ballots are on display during the first day of in-person early voting in Virginia at the Longbridge Park Aquatics and Fitness Center on September 20, 2024 in Arlington, Virginia. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Christian Martinez, a spokesman for Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), defended the process.
“All steps in the established list maintenance process are required by Virginia law and begin after an individual indicates that they are not a citizen. We are required by law to send the information to (the state),'' Martinez said, according to the Associated Press. “Those who are spreading misinformation about it are either ignoring Virginia law or trying to undermine Virginia law because they want non-citizens to vote.”
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Sample ballots and voting signs are displayed during the first day of in-person early voting in Virginia at the Longbridge Park Aquatics and Fitness Center on September 20, 2024 in Arlington, Virginia. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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The Associated Press also reported that Sean Kenney, a spokesman for the attorney general, said in an email that he was “confident in the position taken by the Department of Elections and is ready to defend it.”
Early voting for the 2024 election began in Virginia last month.
