A federal judge in Virginia on Friday ordered Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin to restore 1,600 voters to the rolls after his office removed them in August, claiming they were not American citizens.
U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles granted the injunction request after the Justice Department sued Youngkin on Oct. 11, alleging that the removals violated the National Voter Registration Act’s 90-day “Quiet Period” before the general election.
The law prohibits any systematic changes to voter rolls so close to the election since there isn’t enough time to remedy conflicts that could arise.The Justice Department’s lawsuit was combined with a lawsuit brought by the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, the League of Women Voters of Virginia, the League of Women Voters of Virginia Education Fund and African Communities Together.
