UNITED STATES NEWS

US Justice Department says Virginia is illegally striking voters off the rolls in new lawsuit

Oct 11, 2024, 4:26 PM

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Virginia election officials Friday that accuses the state of striking names from voter rolls in violation of federal election law.

The lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria says that an executive order issued in August by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin requiring daily updates to voter lists to remove ineligible voters violates federal law. The National Voter Registration Act requires a 90-day “quiet period” ahead of elections for the maintenance of voter rolls.

“Congress adopted the National Voter Registration Act’s quiet period restriction to prevent error-prone, eleventh hour efforts that all too often disenfranchise qualified voters,” Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement. “The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy and the Justice Department will continue to ensure that the rights of qualified voters are protected.”

A similar lawsuit was filed earlier this week by a coalition of immigrant-rights groups and the League of Women Voters.

In its lawsuit, the Justice Department said the quiet-period provision reduces the risk that errors in maintaining registration lists will disenfranchise eligible voters by ensuring they have enough time to address errors before the election.

On Aug. 7 — 90 days before the Nov. 5 federal election — Youngkin’s order formalized a systemic process to remove people who are “unable to verify that they are citizens” to the state Department of Motor Vehicles from the statewide voter registration list.

Virginia election officials are using data from the Department of Motor Vehicles to determine a voter’s citizenship and eligibility, according to the filing. The lawsuit alleges the DMV data can be inaccurate or outdated, but officials have not been taking additional steps to verify a person’s purported noncitizen status before mailing them a notice of canceling their voter eligibility.

In a statement on Friday, Youngkin said that state officials were properly enforcing state law requiring the removal of noncitizens from voter rolls.

“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 said of the Justice Department’s lawsuit.

“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. 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,” Youngkin said.

Across the country, conservatives have challenged the legitimacy of large numbers of voter registrations ahead of the Nov. 5 election. The Republican National Committee, newly reconstituted under Trump, has also been involved in efforts to challenge voter rolls before the November election.

United States News

Palestinians gather to receive bags of flour distributed by UNRWA, the U.N. agency helping Palestin...

Associated Press

Middle East latest: Israel ends agreement with UN agency providing aid in Gaza

Israel said Monday it had terminated the agreement facilitating the work of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, the main aid provider in Gaza, in what appeared to be a step to implement legislation passed last month that would sever ties with the agency and prevent it from operating in Israel. Israel says the agency, […]

4 hours ago

Miami-Dade residents wait in line to vote at the Joseph Caleb Center during the "Souls to the Polls...

Associated Press

Florida will vote on marijuana, abortion in an election that will test GOP’s dominance

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s election will test whether the state maintains its new reputation as a Republican stronghold, or whether Democrats make some gains by tapping into the support for abortion and marijuana ballot questions and the new energy Vice President Kamala Harris brings to the race. Gone are the days when Florida was […]

7 hours ago

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell speaks at lecturn...

Associated Press

Federal Reserve is set to cut rates again while facing a hazy post-election outlook

The Federal Reserve's move two days after Election Day is much easier to predict than the future president: With inflation continuing to cool, the Fed is set to cut interest rates for a second time this year.

8 hours ago

Associated Press

Stock market today: Asian shares are mostly higher as China begins major economic meeting

Shares were mostly higher in Asia on Monday as China’s leaders began a major meeting expected to bring fresh pledges of help for the world’s second-largest economy. Oil prices gained more than $1 a barrel after the OPEC+ oil producing nations said they would extend production cuts until the end of the year. No reason […]

9 hours ago

A Boeing employee looks at informational pamphlets before heading in to vote on a new contract offe...

Associated Press

Boeing machinists are holding a contract vote that could end their 7-week strike

Unionized factory workers at Boeing are voting Monday whether to accept a contract offer or to continue their strike, which has lasted more than seven weeks and shut down production of most Boeing passenger planes. A vote to ratify the contract would clear the way for the aerospace giant to resume airplane production and bring […]

12 hours ago

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to reporters after delivering r...

Associated Press

Harris won’t say how she voted on California measure that would reverse criminal justice reforms

DETROIT (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday declined to say how she voted on a key ballot measure in her home state of California that would reverse criminal justice reforms approved in recent years. Harris punted on a question about the ballot initiative in comments to reporters while campaigning in the battleground state […]

17 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Bright Wealth Management

Here’s how to save money on retirement planning

PHOENIX -- With inflation still going on, people planning on retiring still face many issues on when they can retire and how much money they need to achieve it.

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

It wouldn’t hurt to get your AC checked after Arizona’s excruciating heat wave

A well-maintained air conditioning unit is vital to living a comfortable life inside, away from triple-digit heat in Arizona.

...

Sanderson Ford

3 storylines to get you revved up for the 2024 Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals training camp is just a couple weeks away starting on July 25, and Sanderson Ford is revved up and ready to go.

US Justice Department says Virginia is illegally striking voters off the rolls in new lawsuit