The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Virginia for purging voter rolls within 90 days of an election, which the DOJ alleges violates federal voting laws. Governor Glenn Youngkin’s executive order requires daily updates to the voting list, and noncitizens identified are notified of potential cancellation if they do not affirm their citizenship. Previous purges in Prince William County found U.S. citizens mistakenly removed from voter rolls. Youngkin called the lawsuit politically motivated to attack the election’s legitimacy, with former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris also criticized. The DOJ has also sued Alabama for similar violations of the National Voter Registration Act. Virginia, a historically Democratic state, is facing a Senate race and a challenge from the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights over the legality and impact of the voter purges. The DOJ lawsuit has been praised by the Coalition, who claim that Youngkin’s executive order disenfranchised eligible voters. The lawsuit is part of a broader effort by the DOJ to enforce voting rights laws, ensuring that voter roll purges do not disproportionately affect naturalized citizens. The state’s Department of Elections has declined to comment on the pending litigation.
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