The Supreme Court has just allowed Virginia to resume its purge of voter registrations, granting an emergency appeal from Virginia’s Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
The Supreme Court granted the appeal after a federal judge in Alexandria found the state had illegally purged more than 1,600 voter registrations.
On Friday, a federal judge in Alexandria ordered Youngkin to restore the voting rights of those taken off the rolls just weeks prior to the Nov. 5 general election. Youngkin had ordered the purge on Aug. 7, the 90th day before the election. The National Voter Registration Act requires a 90-day “quiet period” ahead of elections for the maintenance of voter rolls, Associated Press reported.
“We are pleased by the Supreme Court’s order today,” Youngkin said in a statement. “This is a victory for commonsense and election fairness.”
U.S. District Judge Patricia Giles had rules that elections officials could still remove names on an individualized basis, but not through a systemic purge. AP reported that court records showed some of those whose registrations were removed are U.S. citizens.
The court granted the appeal over the dissent of three liberal justices.
