
(LibertySociety.com) – A federal judge ruled on Friday that Virginia must restore certain individuals to its voter rolls after they were previously removed by state officials due to their non-citizen status. This decision came after a legal challenge supported by the Biden-Harris administration. The judge’s order was based on concerns about the timing of the removals, given that the election is just days away.
Judge Patricia Giles, appointed by the Biden-Harris administration, determined that removing these names too close to the election could interfere with the voting process. The judge’s decision requires Virginia to reinstate over 1,500 people on the voter rolls, even though state officials argued that those individuals had identified as non-citizens.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin responded sharply to the judge’s decision. He emphasized that these individuals had been flagged based on documents they had provided, which had been checked and verified by federal authorities as evidence of their non-citizen status. “Let’s be clear about what just happened,” Youngkin said. “Eleven days before the Presidential election, a federal judge ordered Virginia to put these individuals back on the rolls, even though they had self-identified as non-citizens.”
Youngkin noted that Virginia has had laws in place to handle voter registrations for nearly two decades. The 2006 law, which was signed by then-Governor Tim Kaine, provides procedures to remove non-citizens from the voter rolls. According to Youngkin, the law has been applied by both Democratic and Republican administrations and is designed to ensure that only eligible citizens remain registered to vote. He added that citizens removed in error could register on the same day as the election, giving them a safeguard.
Youngkin also announced that the state would file a petition to appeal the decision to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and, if needed, to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Republican nominee Donald Trump criticized the decision, calling it an “unacceptable travesty.” Trump noted his support for Governor Youngkin’s appeal, adding that he would be hosting a rally in Virginia soon to discuss the issue further. Trump encouraged Virginia Republicans to vote early and said he would address the court decision at his upcoming event.
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