Virginia's Voter Roll Cleanup: Supreme Court Weighs In

The US Supreme Court has decided that Virginia doesn't need to re-register 1, 600 voters who might have been wrongly removed before next week's election. The court didn't explain its decision, which is normal for quick rulings. Three liberal justices disagreed with this decision. This issue started back in August when Governor Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, ordered daily checks of voter rolls against DMV data to find non-citizens. A federal law says states can't remove voters systematically close to elections. The Justice Department and civil rights groups sued, saying this violated that law. A judge agreed and ordered Virginia to restore these voters' registrations. But the Supreme Court said no. Experts warn that comparing voting rolls with DMV data isn't reliable because of possible errors and people becoming citizens after getting their license.

Protect Democracy, a non-profit that sued Virginia, said, "We know this program removes eligible voters. Virginia hasn't shown any evidence of non-citizens voting. " The Justice Department also disagreed with the court's order. Some people, like Donald Trump and his allies, claimed the lower court's decision would let non-citizens vote again. But Virginia didn't prove many of those removed were non-citizens. The state's Attorney General Jason Miyares and Governor Youngkin praised the Supreme Court's decision. Virginia allows same-day voter registration, so anyone wrongfully removed can still vote. This ruling is part of a pattern where the Supreme Court sides with Republicans in voting disputes.

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