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The Justice Department is suing Virginia over its alleged removal of non-citizens from voter rolls too close to the election
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The Justice Department is suing Virginia over its alleged removal of non-citizens from voter rolls too close to the election

The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Virginia, saying the commonwealth removed noncitizens from its voter rolls too close to Election Day.

The Complaint alleges that the State Board of Elections and Virginia Elections Commissioner Susan Beals violated federal regulations National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which requires states to complete their maintenance program no later than 90 days before an election under a provision called the Quiet Period Provision.

The agency alleges that Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin violated the NVRA when he announced and subsequently executed an executive order requiring the election commissioner to regularly update the state’s voter rolls to remove people “identified as non-citizens.” and they had not responded to a request to verify their citizenship within 14 days.

Under Youngkin’s order, Virginia deported 6,303 people.

“The Executive Order formalized the program and announced that between January 2022 and July 2024, 6,303 individuals were removed from the rolls using the same process,” the complaint states.

DOJ is suing Alabama, the state’s top election official, for allegedly purging non-citizen voters too close to the election

Glenn Youngkin during the Republican National Convention

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin speaks during the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 15. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The complaint states that voters were identified as possible non-citizens if they answered “no” to questions about their citizenship status on certain forms filed with the state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

“This systematic voter removal program conducted by the State within 90 days of the upcoming federal election violates the quiet period provision,” the DOJ said.

In a statement, Yougkin dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuit, saying the lawsuit was “politically motivated.”

“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 over a 2006 law signed by Democrat Tim Kaine that requires Virginia to expel non-citizens from the United States “Voter rolls – a process that begins with someone declaring themselves a non-citizen and then registering to vote,” Youngkins said.

“Virginians – and Americans – will see this for exactly what it is: a desperate attempt to attack the legitimacy of elections in the commonwealth, the true crucible of American democracy,” he said.

Younkin vowed to “defend these common-sense steps” and promised that the state’s elections would be “safe and fair.”

YOUNGKIN requires paper voting for presidential elections in Virginia

“With the support of our attorney general, we will defend these common-sense steps, which we are legally required to take, with every means at our disposal,” he said. “Virginia’s election will be safe and fair, and I will not stand idly by as this politically motivated effort attempts to interfere in our elections, period.”

I voted for stickers

A volunteer holds a sticker to give to a voter at a polling station on Election Day in Stamford, Connecticut. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, wrote on X that the DOJ lawsuit was “election interference.”

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“The Biden-Harris administration is engaging in election interference,” he wrote. “They are harassing states that want to ensure that non-citizens cannot vote. This is a lawless abuse of power.”

The Justice Department’s lawsuit against Virginia comes after the agency sued Alabama and its Republican Secretary of State Wes Allen over the state’s voter purge program, which targets non-citizen voters.

DOJ insignia

The Justice Department has also sued Alabama and its Republican Secretary of State Wes Allen over the state’s voter purge program. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

The Justice Department is seeking a preliminary injunction that would “restore affected electors’ ability to vote freely on Election Day” and “prohibit future violations of the quiet period,” the DOJ said in a statement.

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“The department is also pursuing remedial mailings to educate voters about restoring their rights and appropriate training of local officials and poll workers to eliminate confusion and distrust among voters accused of being non-citizens,” said the agency.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Youngkin for comment.

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