The Trump Supreme Court couldn’t even bother itself to make up a legal reason to purge 1,600 Virginia voters from the state voter rolls.
The six MAGA justices just voted, then tucked their tails.
“We are deeply disappointed that the vicious voting rights attacks from the governor and attorney general have been permitted to prevail,” said Monica Sarmiento, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights. “It is a dangerous occurrence when lawful US citizens are carelessly removed from the voter rolls. Although we did not win this battle, VACIR will continue to fight for the right of eligible U.S. citizens to vote.”
The Glenn Youngkin-Jason Miyares voter purge is obviously in violation of a section of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 known as the Quiet Period Provision, which requires states to complete systematic programs aimed at removing the names of ineligible voters from voter registration lists no later than 90 days before federal elections.
Youngkin signed an executive order in August laying out the groundwork for the purge, leading the Justice Department to file suit.
Lower courts upheld the voting rights of Virginia citizens whose crime was simply not checking a box or moving from one Virginia locality to another and having a Latino-sounding name.
Enter the Trump-packed and billionaire-backed Supreme Court, which no doubt has an itchy trigger finger ready to engage if any of the MAGA side’s frivolous vote challenges makes its way to its docket.
Does this impact you?
The state of Virginia allows voters to register at their polling place on Election Day. Voters in Virginia who find themselves removed from the rolls should re-register at their polling place when they go to cast their ballot.
Voters can learn more and check their registration at VOTE411.org.
“This ruling is devastating for Virginia voters, effectively allowing eligible voters to be stripped of their fundamental rights just before a federal election,” said Joan Porte, president of the League of Women Voters of Virginia. “By permitting these voter purges, the court jeopardizes the integrity of our elections and silences the voices of voters. The League of Women Voters of Virginia will continue to fight for voters across our state and advocate pro-voter policies to ensure our democracy is fair for everyone.”
“Today’s ruling is not only a disappointment, but it further validates the attacks on voter rights across the country at a critical time for our country, when the voices of our communities are being drowned out by racist and xenophobic rhetoric,” said Solomon Ayalew, DMV chapter director of African Communities Together. “ACT will continue to fight for the rights of voters and do everything we can to ensure naturalized citizens, who have had their right to vote challenged and have been casualties in this systematic removal, are heard.”
“The ruling today is disappointing and a loss for eligible voters, and only underscores the fact that a major political movement has invested so much in a dangerous strategy to discredit and undermine our electoral process,” said Anna Dorman, counsel at Protect Democracy. “We’re watching the harms incurred by that strategy play out right now in real-time in states across the U.S., as thousands of eligible voters’ right to participate in our democracy is being questioned and is in limbo.”
“To say this decision is a disappointment is an understatement. The Supreme Court just ignored a key provision of the National Voter Registration Act and the clear fact that Virginia purged eligible voters on the eve of the election,” said Ryan Snow, counsel with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “The list of purged voters includes both new citizens and people born in the U.S., all of whom have the same sacred right to vote. The decision to block the district court’s order stopping this purge is a blow to the many eligible Virginian voters who were unlawfully purged and will now face uncertainty about their ability to cast a ballot that will be counted.”
“The Supreme Court allowing Virginia to engage in a last-minute purge that includes many known eligible citizens in the final days before an election is outrageous,” said Danielle Lang, Campaign Legal Center’s senior director on voting rights. “But the voters will decide this election, not the courts, and CLC will continue to fight alongside Virginians to ensure that they are able to participate in our democracy. Eligible Virginia voters should know that regardless of this purge they can register to vote on Election Day and cast their ballots.”
“The Supreme Court’s ruling today is a huge loss for Virginia voters. The court’s decision allows the last-minute illegal purging of eligible voters who are now disenfranchised in Tuesday’s election,” said John Powers, director of the Power and Democracy Program at Advancement Project. “Ensuring that every eligible voter can vote is a bedrock of our democracy. We will continue to fight for free, fair, and accessible elections for every voter.”
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Chris Graham
