The Patriot Post® · DOJ Sues Virginia Over Clean Voter Rolls

If there was any doubt that Democrats oppose voter integrity measures, the Biden-Harris Justice Department’s recent actions should dispel any remaining doubt.

The DOJ is targeting Virginia after Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin ordered the state’s election board to remove noncitizens from the voter rolls in compliance with state law.

The DOJ contends that Virginia’s “systematic voter removal program, which the State is conducting within 90 days of the upcoming federal election, violates the Quiet Period Provision” of the federal National Voter Registration Act. The clause known as the Quiet Period Provision requires states to complete all their voter roll maintenance 90 days prior to an election. As demonstrated by the way it’s being applied, it’s a dubious provision — and perhaps unconstitutional, given that Article I, Section 4 says, “The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof.”

Youngkin responded to the DOJ’s lawsuit by pointing out that he has done nothing but comply with Virginia’s “common sense” law. “First and foremost, this is a law that’s been on our books since 2006,” Youngkin explained. “It was a law that was signed by then Democrat Governor Tim Kaine, and it requires our election process and governors to use DMV data when an individual self-identifies as a noncitizen and there is a match with that person on the voter rolls to then notify that person that they have 14 days to affirm that they’re a citizen or not, and if they’re not, then they are removed.”

He further pointed out: “Recent Democrat governors like Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam used this exact same process within the 90-day period because it is individualized. An individual starts the process by self-identifying as a noncitizen. And, therefore, as governor, I have an obligation, no discretion, to then run the process to notify that person through our registrar that they have 14 days to clear it up. And if they don’t clear it up, they’re gonna be removed from the voter rolls.”

Thus far, Virginia has removed over 6,300 noncitizens from those rolls. These individuals self-identified as noncitizens and were given 14 days to correct their status.

Youngkin pushed back on the notion that he was engaged in some kind of “purging program,” stating, “It begins with someone identifying themselves as a noncitizen. Do you think that noncitizens, when they’ve [themselves] identified as a noncitizen, should stay on the voter roll and therefore be in a position to potentially vote in a presidential election?”

How did so many noncitizens end up on Virginia’s voter rolls? The answer is the same National Voter Registration Act, which has been referred to as the “Motor Voter” law. When people go to get a driver’s license, they are also pushed to register to vote in federal elections. Therefore, in a state like Virginia, which receives a large influx of foreign nationals, especially in northern Virginia, due to its proximity to Washington, DC, there is a strong likelihood that noncitizens are being registered to vote when they apply for a driver’s license.

The DOJ’s lawsuit — both its timing and the history of not going after Virginia in the past when Democrat governors have applied the very same law — demonstrates that this is all politically motivated. The DOJ is literally engaged in election interference.

What the DOJ should be most concerned with is ensuring election integrity, not fighting to increase the probability that noncitizens are illegally casting votes in a national election. This action also speaks to the dubious claim often repeated by Democrats and the Leftmedia that the 2020 election was the most secure election on record. This action by the DOJ belies that claim. Furthermore, the problem of noncitizens voting is not a new issue. Indeed, it appears to be a growing problem. This is unsurprising, given the massive number of both legal and illegal aliens currently here. This reality begs for increased election integrity measures, not eliminating them.

The biggest threat to America’s democratic electoral system is not Donald Trump. Rather, it’s the existential threat of illegitimate ballots.