A federal judge has granted a Department of Justice request to block Virginia from systematically removing alleged non-citizens from the voter rolls close to an election. U.S. District Judge Patricia Giles ordered the state to stop the program immediately and restore the voter registrations of over 1,600 individuals who were removed. The decision, 10 days before Election Day, is seen as a victory by civil rights groups who sued the state. Lawyers found that American citizens were mistakenly removed from the voter rolls. Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, who signed an executive order mandating voter roll purges, plans to appeal the ruling to higher courts. The program in question flags people for removal if they indicate they are not citizens on a DMV form, potentially catching green card holders who became citizens or those who filled out the form incorrectly. The Justice Department argued in court that the program violates the National Voter Registration Act’s prohibition on systematically removing voters within 90 days of an election. The state defended the program, stating that every non-citizen vote cancels out a legal vote. The ruling is expected to allow all wrongfully purged voters to cast their ballots in the upcoming election.
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