In a significant ruling just days before the upcoming election, the U.S. Supreme Court has authorized Virginia to remove 1,600 individuals from its voter rolls, reversing a lower court decision that had blocked the move. The ruling came in response to a recent injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles, a Biden appointee, which had ordered Virginia to reinstate these individuals, citing potential violations of the National Voter Registration Act’s (NVRA) “Quiet Period Provision.” This provision restricts systematic voter roll maintenance within 90 days of an election to prevent potential disenfranchisement.
The Justice Department, under Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, had argued that Virginia’s efforts to clean up its voter rolls at this late stage posed a risk of disenfranchising eligible voters. Clarke asserted that the timing of these removals could unfairly impact individuals’ ability to vote, a stance that initially won the support of Judge Giles in federal court.
However, the Supreme Court’s decision on Wednesday reversed this ruling, enabling Virginia to continue its removal of 1,600 individuals suspected of being noncitizens. In its brief order, the Court did not provide an explanation for its decision, which is customary in emergency docket cases. The Court’s three liberal justices—Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson—dissented, opposing the state’s plan to proceed with last-minute voter roll maintenance. Critics argue that the dissenting opinion reflects a stance that could weaken safeguards against potential voter fraud.
The case spotlights a sharp divide over voter roll maintenance, with Republicans asserting that it is essential to protect election integrity by ensuring only eligible citizens are registered to vote. The Justice Department’s intervention, however, had focused on protecting the NVRA’s quiet period, arguing that removing registered voters within this time frame, particularly close to a high-stakes election, could create barriers for individuals potentially removed in error.
This ruling underscores the escalating political tensions surrounding election security and voter access, with both parties weighing the ruling’s potential impact on voter confidence and turnout in Virginia. As the Supreme Court’s decision clears the way for Virginia to implement its voter roll maintenance program, officials have emphasized that the effort aims specifically at noncitizens on the rolls and does not target any lawfully registered voters.
The decision highlights the Court’s stance on election integrity, likely foreshadowing further judicial scrutiny of last-minute voting issues in this and future elections.
As I understand it the people self-identified as NON-CITIZENS, thus can’t vote. This seems to be pretty easy to understand. The lower court was trying to force Virginia to let them vote without the required citizenship. And since voting is in secret then how do you remove their vote? Some might have voted for Trump!