A federal judge has ordered Virginia to reinstate over 1,600 individuals to the state’s voter rolls, just weeks before the upcoming election.
This decision, handed down by U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles—nominated by Joe Biden—raises serious concerns about election integrity and the potential for voter fraud in the Commonwealth.
Biden’s Gestapo Justice Department initiated this lawsuit, claiming that Virginia’s voter roll maintenance efforts allegedly violated the National Voter Registration Act’s “Quiet Period Provision,” which restricts systematic removal efforts within 90 days of an election.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke defended the DOJ’s actions, insisting that last-minute removal efforts risk disenfranchising voters.
However, many in Virginia, including Youngkin, see this as a blatant interference in state matters.
“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 – a process that starts with someone declaring themselves a non-citizen and then registering to vote.
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. 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.”
Judge Giles, a Biden appointee, argued that Virginia’s voter verification system was overly “systematic,” rather than individualized, and therefore violated the National Voter Registration Act’s “quiet period” provision—a clause that restricts voter roll adjustments within 90 days of a federal election, according to 8News.
Giles ordered the state to suspend the program immediately and, within five days, restore the voter registrations of more than 1,600 individuals who were recently removed, according to NBC.
“Defendant’s program has curtailed the right of eligible voters to cast their ballots in the same manner as other eligible voters,” Judge Giles said Friday.
Governor Glenn Youngkin issued the following statement in response to a federal judge’s ruling:
“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. Almost all these individuals had previously presented immigration documents confirming their noncitizen status, a fact recently verified by federal authorities.
“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, with safeguards in place to affirm citizenship before removal–and the ultimate failsafe of same-day registration for U.S. citizens to cast a provisional ballot. This law has been applied in every Presidential election by Republicans and Democrats since enacted 18 years ago.
“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.”
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. https://t.co/QwloK1Sxr4
— Glenn Youngkin (@GlennYoungkin) October 25, 2024
