Politics
Justice Department sues Virginia for its voter purge over nonexistent ‘noncitizen voting’
UPDATE(Oct. 25, 2024, 12:33 p.m. ET):On Friday, a federal judgeordered Virginiato stop systematically purging the state’s voter rolls and to restore the voter registration of more than 1,600 people who had been removed.
The Justice Department is suing Virginia election officials over their recent efforts to cancel voter registrations, alleging their actions violate a federal law that bars the purging of voter rolls so close to the election.
Filed on Friday, the lawsuit accuses the Virginia State Board of Elections and the Virginia commissioner of elections of violating the National Voter Registration Act’s quiet period provision, which requires states to complete the removal of ineligible voters from the voter rolls no later than 90 days before federal elections. What’s more, the Justice Department alleges that some voters removed from lists are in fact U.S. citizens.
“The Commonwealth’s unlawful actions here have likely confused, deterred, and removed U.S. citizens who are fully eligible to vote —the very scenario that Congress tried to prevent when it enacted the Quiet Period Provision,” the Justice Department says in its suit.
Virginia election officials began enacting a program to make daily updates to the state’s voter list after Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order in August. The governor, who has parroted Donald Trump’s unfounded claims about noncitizen votinghas framed the program as an effort to reinforce election security, even though voting rights organizations say such efforts disproportionately affect naturalized citizens.
The DOJ is seeking an injunction to restore eligible voters to the voter rolls and prevent future violations to the quiet period provision. “By cancelling voter registrations within 90 days of Election Day, Virginia places qualified voters in jeopardy of being removed from the rolls and creates the risk of confusion for the electorate,” U.S. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement.
Youngkin called the lawsuit “a desperate attempt to attack the legitimacy of the elections” in Virginia.
It is rare and already illegal for noncitizens to vote in U.S. elections. Yet claims of widespread “noncitizen voting” have caught on among Republicansas Trump and his allies prime their supporters to deny a potential loss in November.
A handful of GOP-led states have similarly removed people from their voter rolls in what they have characterized as a crackdown on noncitizen voting. Alabama also faces a lawsuit from the Justice Department for removing more than 3,200 people from voter rolls during the 90-day period ahead of the election. In his August statement announcing the removal of registered voters who at one time had been issued noncitizen identification numbers by the Department of Homeland Security, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen acknowledged that some of the people his office removed from voter rolls may now be naturalized citizens and eligible to vote.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking/trending news blogger for BLN Digital. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
President Trump claimed on Saturday that multiple individuals have been arrested for allegedly vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool as he seeks to deflect blame for ongoing water quality and maintenance problems stemming from a recent multi-million renovation project. “The United States Park Police have arrested multiple individuals for vandalizing our Nations magnificent Reflecting Pool,” Trump…
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Sunday presents another test for both Belgium and Maximus Textoris Pulcher, the rescue cat that Prime Minister Bart De Wever hoped would become the 2026 successor to Paul the Octopus, who predicted (with surprising accuracy) the winners of the 2010 World Cup.
De Wever’s cat has become something of a feline influencer — Maximus’s Instagram following now outpaces the PM’s — but probably shouldn’t quit social media for prediction markets. Maximus, who chooses a match’s outcome by pawing from one of three dishes, anticipated a Belgian win in the team’s first match against Egypt — it ended in a draw. Maximus has again tipped the Red Devils to prevail today, this time against Iran.
Gov. Josh Shapiro is quickly becoming the prospective 2028 presidential campaign field’s biggest World Cup fan.
On Monday, the Pennsylvania governor and potential presidential candidate is set to attend his second match of the tournament when he is in the stands at Lincoln Financial Field to see Iraq play France in Philadelphia, according to a spokesperson. He also attended Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador there a week ago with his wife Lori. Shapiro is also expected to hit the FIFA Fan Festival before the match.
Shapiro joins a growing list of 2028 hopefuls to take in the tournament. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, attended the U.S. opener against Paraguay. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attended the American squad’s match against Australia. New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who hasn’t actively made moves toward a campaign but has carved out a leadership role in the party, attended the France vs. Senegal game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
A number of potential 2028 candidates in states hosting games have not yet made the pilgrimage to a game: Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) hasn’t partaken of an East Rutherford match. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock of Georgia, for example, have not attended matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta (Ossoff has said he has no interest in running for president), nor has Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) hasn’t taken in a match at either AT&T Stadium in Arlington or NRG Stadium in Houston.
Shapiro is known on local sports radio as “Josh in Abington,” and is a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles and 76ers. That fandom could help him build stronger relationships with voters. Philadelphia’s fan zone has drawn significant crowds.
Shapiro has also used host status to distribute 700 free tickets to Philadelphia community organizations. He said it was “really important” to him that it would happen when he landed matches.
“Governor Shapiro believes the FIFA World Cup is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that should benefit all Pennsylvanians,” his office said in a press release earlier this month, and “he is working to make the matches free and accessible to as many people as possible.”
The tickets are also an economic development tool: “As part of Visit PA’s sponsorship of Philadelphia Soccer 2026, the Commonwealth gains access to a mix of suite, VIP, and general admission tickets, which are being used to host business leaders, prospective partners, and other guests to further strengthen Pennsylvania’s economic development and promote the Commonwealth as the best place to visit, live, and do business,” a Shapiro spokesperson said.
More broadly, the politics of attending a FIFA World Cup game are tricky, says Eric Koch, a soccer fan and Democratic consultant based in New York City.
“In fairness the ticket prices are insane and the U.S. matches have all been on the West Coast so it’s hard for anyone to get out there — and AOC has been (rightfully!) basking in the Knicks win,” Koch said. “The U.S. loves a winner and this squad is not only super talented but is also on the cusp of really capturing the hearts of the whole country as we go to the knockout rounds so I expect we will see more candidates embracing them. It’s going to be a great unifying thing to rally behind.”
For Democrats in particular, embracing the World Cup could help them with two political projects, Koch said: embracing some kind of patriotism and relating more with voters, but it has to be an authentic effort.
“As with all things in politics, if it’s not authentic to you and what you’re about, it’s going to seem fake and forced and this applies extra to sports, which people have actual deep connections to,” Koch said. “The good thing is the USMNT can be everyone’s team and as the hype train builds I think we will see more pols embracing them.”
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