Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Friday signed an executive order requiring Virginia to strengthen coordination with federal agencies and conduct a statewide election preparedness exercise before early voting begins next week.
Executive Order 53 directs the state Department of Elections to expand data sharing with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Election Assistance Commission to identify ineligible voters and update Virginia’s voting system certification standards to incorporate new federal guidelines.
The order also mandates that state emergency management officials conduct an election preparedness exercise by Sept. 19, when early voting begins for Virginia’s November elections.
“Free and fair elections are the bedrock of our democracy,” Youngkin said in a statement. “The Executive Order I am issuing today builds upon our previous work to make Virginia’s election security the best in the nation.”
The directive requires Virginia to adopt the federal Voluntary Voting System Guidelines 2.0 into the state’s certification standards while maintaining requirements that exceed federal minimums. All new voting systems must be tested against these updated standards before certification.
Virginia must also expand the use of the Department of Homeland Security’s SAVE database to identify non-citizens on voter rolls and participate in federal technology evaluation programs for election night reporting systems.
The directive comes amid heightened federal immigration enforcement activities, including recent ICE raids in Northern Virginia. The SAVE database provisions specifically target identifying non-citizens who may be registered to vote, separate from broader immigration enforcement efforts.
The order strengthens existing prohibitions on wireless communication and internet connections for vote-counting equipment, formalizing security practices already in place statewide.
A statewide preparedness exercise will involve 13 agencies, including the Virginia Fusion Center, State Police, National Guard, and local election officials. The tabletop exercise must evaluate coordination plans, test response protocols, and identify communication gaps prior to the start of early voting.
The executive order builds on previous election security measures implemented by the Youngkin administration. Executive Order 31, signed in 2023, established data-sharing agreements with 11 other states for voter list maintenance. Executive Order 35, issued last year, required annual security assessments and voter system security plans from all localities.
Virginia currently uses paper ballots counted by machines not connected to the internet. The state conducts logic and accuracy testing before each election and post-election audits to verify results.
State election officials maintain voter rolls through daily cross-checks with the Department of Motor Vehicles and regular mailings to verify addresses. The state has removed thousands of deceased voters and conducted two National Change of Address mailings to update voter information.
The order takes effect immediately and remains in place unless amended or rescinded by future executive action.
For more information about early voting in Alexandria, visit the city’s Voter Registration & Elections website.
Early voting for Virginia’s November elections begins Sept. 19 and runs through Nov. 2. Election Day is Nov. 4.
