The Supreme Court’s conservative majority granted an emergency appeal from Virginia’s Republican administration to resume purging voter registrations. The state claims this is to prevent non-U.S. citizens from voting, a rare occurrence in American elections that has been a focus of political messaging by Republicans, including former President Trump. The court did not provide a rationale for its decision, which came after a federal judge found the state illegally purged over 1,600 registrations in the past two months. The National Voter Registration Act requires a 90-day “quiet period” before elections for voter roll maintenance, which Virginia’s actions were said to violate.
Impacted voters, including U.S. citizens, were to be notified of restored registrations by Wednesday. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin lauded the Supreme Court’s action as a victory for election fairness, emphasizing the importance of clean voter rolls for ensuring fair elections. However, critics, including the Campaign Legal Center, called the last-minute purge outrageous and detrimental to known eligible citizens. Despite the purge, voters can still register on Election Day and cast their ballots.
This situation mirrors a recent case in Alabama, where a federal judge ordered over 3,200 voters deemed ineligible noncitizens to have their eligibility restored after it was revealed that many were actually legally registered citizens. The controversy around voter purges and allegations of illegal voting continues to be a contentious issue in American politics.
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