A contentious legal battle over Virginia's voter registration system reaches its climax as the Supreme Court weighs in on election integrity measures.
Fox News reported that the Supreme Court has temporarily halted a lower court's ruling that would have required Virginia to restore approximately 1,600 potential noncitizens to its voter rolls.
Attorney General Jason Miyares celebrated this decision as a significant victory for maintaining electoral integrity. The ruling comes in response to Virginia's emergency appeal to the Supreme Court, challenging a previous order from a U.S. judge in Alexandria. This development represents a crucial win for Governor Glenn Youngkin's administration, which has strongly defended the state's voter roll maintenance program.
The Supreme Court's ruling revealed a clear division among the justices, with Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissenting from the majority opinion. This split decision effectively allows Virginia to continue its voter roll maintenance program as the case proceeds through the appeals process.
Virginia Attorney General Miyares expressed his gratitude for the swift action taken by the Supreme Court. He emphasized the importance of the ruling in maintaining the integrity of the upcoming elections.
Miyares stated:
This is just a huge win for the rule of law. It ensures that Virginia will be allowed to follow our laws that make sure that noncitizens are not on our voter rolls for next week's elections, that we're not going to be forced to be putting 1,500 plus noncitizens back on our rolls.
The Department of Justice initiated legal action against Virginia earlier this month, targeting the state's voter removal program. The lawsuit specifically named Attorney General Miyares in his official capacity and questioned the timing of the state's actions.
The core dispute centers on Virginia's compliance with the National Voter Registration Act's quiet period provision. This federal law requires states to suspend systematic voter roll maintenance during the 90 days preceding a federal election.
Governor Youngkin has consistently maintained that the state's process follows both state and federal regulations. The administration characterizes their approach as individualized rather than systematic.
Virginia's voter maintenance program, launched in August, employs a cross-referencing system between the Department of Motor Vehicles' records of self-identified noncitizens and the state's voter registration database. The process includes a 14-day window for flagged individuals to verify their citizenship status.
The Department of Justice expressed disappointment with the Supreme Court's decision. In their statement, they reinforced their commitment to protecting voting rights for all eligible American citizens. Governor Youngkin welcomed the ruling, stating:
We are pleased by the Supreme Court's order today. This is a victory for commonsense and election fairness. I am grateful for the work of Attorney General Jason Miyares on this critical fight to protect the fundamental rights of U.S. citizens.
The Supreme Court's intervention marks a significant milestone in Virginia's efforts to maintain accurate voter rolls. This ruling allows the state to proceed with its verification processes while the underlying legal challenge continues in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The decision establishes a precedent for how states may conduct voter roll maintenance operations, particularly concerning the timing of such activities in relation to federal elections. As Virginia moves forward with its program, the impact of this ruling will likely influence similar initiatives across other states.
