The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against Virginia for violating the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) by systematically removing voters from registration rolls within 90 days of a federal election, a practice prohibited under the law. The DOJ’s lawsuit focuses on a program in Virginia aimed at removing individuals identified as non-citizens from voter lists, which was implemented in the run-up to the November 2024 election. This action, mandated by an executive order from Virginia’s governor, risks disenfranchising eligible voters by creating confusion and removing registrations too close to the election date.
The DOJ argues that the so-called “Quiet Period” provision of the NVRA exists to prevent last-minute voter roll purges, which can be prone to errors and can disenfranchise qualified voters who may not have time to rectify their status before Election Day. They are seeking an injunction to halt these efforts and to ensure that eligible voters can participate in the upcoming election without interference.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has criticized the lawsuit, defending the state’s actions as part of enforcing existing laws regarding non-citizen voters. He described the DOJ’s lawsuit as a politically motivated effort to undermine the legitimacy of Virginia’s elections
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