A federal appeals court recently ruled that around 1,600 Virginia voters with questionable citizenship status should be reinstated to the voter rolls. This decision came after immigrants and women’s rights groups took legal action against the state and its Board of Elections in response to an executive order from Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
Youngkin’s order directed state officials to identify noncitizens and give them two weeks to dispute their disqualification before being removed from the voter rolls. His attorneys argued that the law only applies to actual voters and does not cover the removal of non-citizens. The appeals court for the Fourth Circuit agreed, stating that the state was mixing different parts of the law together.
Despite the ruling, Youngkin has vowed to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, emphasizing that noncitizens should not be on voter rolls. He expressed his gratitude to Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares for filing an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court.
Prior to the appeals court decision, U.S. Judge Patricia Giles issued a preliminary injunction to reinstate all voters who had been removed from the state’s voter rolls in the past 90 days. The judge found that the removals were systematic rather than individualized, constituting a violation of federal law.
The Justice Department also filed a lawsuit against the State of Virginia, Virginia State Board of Elections, and Virginia Commissioner of Elections, alleging that the removal of voters so close to the general election violated the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA).
Youngkin strongly criticized the court’s decision, stating that the judge ordered the reinstatement of over 1,500 individuals who had self-identified as noncitizens just days before a presidential election. He emphasized that most of these individuals had previously provided immigration documents confirming their noncitizen status, a fact verified by federal authorities.
If the case reaches the U.S. Supreme Court, it will be a significant decision that could impact the upcoming election. The controversy surrounding the removal and reinstatement of voters raises questions about the integrity of the voter registration process and the importance of ensuring that only eligible individuals are allowed to vote.