(LibertySociety.com) – Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin last week signed an executive order codifying the election security measures that have been put in place during his term in office.
The governor’s Executive Order 35 instructs the state to protect the legal casting of votes through stringent ballot security efforts, including the thorough testing of counting machines and Virginia’s “best-in-the-nation” maintenance of the voter rolls.
In an August 7 press release from the governor’s office, Governor Youngkin declared that Virginia’s election security model was working.
Youngkin said protecting the integrity of elections should not be a Republican or Democrat issue but “an American and Virginian issue.” He explained that the ballots of legally eligible Virginia voters deserved to be counted and should not be “watered down” by “inaccurate machines” or “illegal votes.”
Youngkin lauded his state for using “100% paper ballots” that are protected by a “strict chain of custody.” He said Virginia did not use voting machines and said its vote-counting machines, which are tested before every election, are “never connected to the internet.”
Youngkin also noted that Virginia does not send out “mass mail ballots” and its drop boxes are monitored “24/7.”
Unlike some states, Virginia verifies the identity and residence of every registered voter by comparing the voter rolls to “trusted data sources” like information from the Department of Motor Vehicles, Youngkin said.
The state also updates its voter rolls “daily” both to add newly registered voters and to remove those who should not be on the list, including those who have moved or passed away, as well as foreign nationals that may have “accidentally or maliciously attempted to register,” Youngkin said.
The executive order directs the Commission of Virginia’s Department of Elections to certify in writing each year that the election security measures implemented remain in place. It also notes that foreign nationals who attempt to register to vote or vote illegally will be referred to the local Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and the Attorney General.
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