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But Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, along with many others in the state, sees this legal action as a blatant attempt to interfere in the election process. In a fiery statement, Youngkin said, “With less than 30 days until the election, the Biden-Harris Department of Justice is filing an unprecedented lawsuit against me and the Commonwealth of Virginia, for appropriately enforcing a 2006 law signed by Democrat Tim Kaine that requires Virginia to remove noncitizens from the voter rolls.”
Youngkin further argued that this law has been in place for nearly two decades and has been enforced by both Republicans and Democrats. “Virginians – and Americans – will see this for exactly what it is: a desperate attempt to attack the legitimacy of the elections in the Commonwealth, the very crucible of American Democracy,” Youngkin added. He vowed to defend the state’s voter laws with “every resource available,” ensuring that Virginia’s election would be “secure and fair.”
Judge Giles, in her ruling, contended that Virginia’s voter verification system was too “systematic,” rather than individualized. This, she said, violated the quiet period rule that restricts major changes to voter rolls so close to an election. Giles ordered the state to immediately halt its removal program and reinstate over 1,600 individuals who had been recently removed, many of whom had previously identified themselves as noncitizens. According to NBC, the judge gave the state just five days to comply with her ruling.
Youngkin didn’t mince words in his response, stating, “Let’s be clear about what just happened: only eleven days before a Presidential election, a federal judge ordered Virginia to reinstate over 1,500 individuals–who self-identified themselves as noncitizens–back onto the voter rolls.”
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The governor stressed that this issue wasn’t just about election integrity but about following long-standing laws. “This is a Virginia law passed in 2006, signed by then-Governor Tim Kaine, that mandates certain procedures to remove noncitizens from the voter rolls,” Youngkin said. He pointed out that the law included safeguards to affirm citizenship before removal and allowed U.S. citizens to cast provisional ballots if they were wrongfully removed from the rolls. “This law has been applied in every Presidential election by Republicans and Democrats since enacted 18 years ago.”
In the wake of the judge’s ruling, Youngkin vowed to fight back. “Virginia will immediately petition the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and, if necessary, the U.S. Supreme Court, for an emergency stay of the injunction,” he declared.
As the legal drama unfolds, many in Virginia and across the country are watching closely. The reinstatement of over 1,600 individuals to the voter rolls, many of whom have immigration records confirming their noncitizen status, is raising alarm bells about the security and fairness of the upcoming election. With just days left until the presidential election, this ruling could have far-reaching consequences, and Virginia’s fight for election integrity is far from over.
