Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is pushing back against the Justice Department's lawsuit against the state over election reform laws, which past Democratic state leaders have recently approved without federal intervention. He said he had been using it until then.
“Let's be clear, this is not a purge. This is based on a law signed into law by then-Democratic Governor Tim Kaine in 2006. And it's not a purge. When you walk into one, you identify yourself as a non-citizen, and then, whether intentionally or accidentally, you end up on the voter rolls, and we're not aware of any system based on that person's self-identification. “Give non-citizens 14 days to confirm that they are citizens,” said Fox, anchored by Shannon Bream. Youngkin said during an appearance on “News Sunday.”
“And if they don't, they'll be taken off the voter rolls. By the way, they have one last safety net: They can come and register and cast a provisional ballot on the same day. That is,” he added.
Yonkin replied: The Justice Department lawsuit was filed on October 11th. It alleges the state, the Board of Elections and election officials violated federal law by carrying out Yonkin's executive order. The order directs local and/or state officials to remove the names of people who “cannot prove their citizenship” to the Department of Transportation for voter registration purposes.
The Justice Department has approved a law centered around Yonkin voters' roll-culling order, and the federal government is filing a lawsuit to block it.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin appears on “Fox News Sunday” (Fox News)
The complaint alleges that federal law requires states to complete maintenance programs 90 days before an election, citing a provision known as the quiet period clause. The complaint notes that voters were identified as potential non-citizens if they answered “no” to citizenship questions on certain forms submitted to the state Department of Transportation.
Youngkin continued Sunday that the law has been in place for 18 years, but now the Youngkin administration is facing criticism from the federal government for implementing the law.
Republican governor slams 'unprecedented' Justice Department lawsuit over removal of noncitizens from voter rolls
“In 2006, the Department of Justice at the time actually approved this law and said that not only was this more constitutional, but we had thoroughly reviewed it, so we had no problem moving forward with this bill.” he said.
“Last week, 25 days before the election, the Department of Justice decided to file a lawsuit after this law has been in place for 18 years and has been administered by Democratic and Republican governors. That's why I believe the law has been administered by Virginians wondering what the Department of Justice is doing, even though this system has been widely applied by Republican and Democratic governors. , suddenly filed a lawsuit against the state of Virginia when it was in trouble, when we were trying to get people to vote, not non-citizens,'' he said.
The Department of Justice seal speaks during a press conference at the Justice Department's offices in Washington, May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Yonkin executives order cited Virginia Statute 24.2-439 requires government registrars to cancel voter registrations of noncitizens deemed to have been solicited under false pretenses. It also cited Virginia Statute 24.2-1019, which requires the registrar to immediately notify the county or city prosecutor of such situations.
Republican governors are not forcing “purges” of voter rolls, but rather enforcing “personalized” safeguard systems that ensure legal residents are the only people voting in elections. He emphasized that there is.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin speaks at the Faith and Freedom Coalition's Pathways to Majority Policy Conference in Washington, DC on June 22, 2024. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
“This system has been used within a 90-day quiet period, most recently by Democratic governors Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam, and they didn't say anything about it at the time. Reality “This is not a purge, it's not systemic.'' It's personal, and it starts with someone identifying as a non-citizen, and then knowingly or accidentally, I'm a voter. It will be on the list. Governor, will you allow non-citizens to appear on the voter list? “This is not only constitutionally correct,” he continued.
Glenn Yonkin vows to ensure Virginia elections are 'fair, accurate and secure'
“America's elections should be decided by the people, and non-citizens should not be on the voter rolls. And we will make sure Virginia's elections are fair, accurate and secure. We have paper ballots, not voting machines, we have great custody laws, and we're going to have the cleanest voter rolls in the country.”
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Fox News Digital's Charles Creitz and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
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