Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is responding after the Department of Justice (DOJ) sued the state over its removal of individuals lacking proof of citizenship from voter rolls. This case adds to a growing national debate on how to conduct secure elections while ensuring eligible voters can easily participate.
In August 2024, Gov. Youngkin directed the election commissioner to regularly update the state’s voter lists to remove individuals identified as noncitizens. Those individuals are notified and given a 14-day window to provide proof of citizenship. If they fail to do so, they are removed from the rolls.
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The DOJ claims Virginia is violating the National Voter Registration Act, which prohibits voter roll maintenance within 90 days of an election. The department is seeking a court order to restore voting rights to those affected.
Youngkin has labeled the lawsuit an “unprecedented” attack, asserting that the state is “appropriately enforcing Virginia law.” It remains unclear how many people have been removed from voter rolls since Youngkin’s executive order in August.
From 2022 to July 2024, more than 6,000 individuals without citizenship proof were removed based on their responses to citizenship questions at the DMV. The exact number of noncitizens among them is unknown.
There has been a push by Republican-led states to vet their voter rolls for noncitizens. For instance, Texas removed 6,500 noncitizens from its rolls since 2021, and Alabama identified over 3,000 individuals on its voter rolls with noncitizen identification numbers. The DOJ has also sued Alabama for conducting similar removals within 90 days of an election.
