Scott Statement on Federal Judge Ordering Youngkin Administration to Reinstate more than 1,600 Voters to Virginia’s Voter Rolls

NEWPORT NEWS, VA - Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), co-chair of the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus and Dean of the Virginia Congressional Delegation, issued the following statement on U.S. District Court Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles' order requiring the Youngkin Administration to reinstate more than 1,600 voters who may have been illegally purged from Virginia's voter rolls in violation of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993:

"I am pleased that a federal court has reinstated more than 1,600 voters to Virginia's voter rolls. For the last three election cycles, I have been concerned that Governor Youngkin and his administration have arbitrarily removed eligible voters from the Commonwealth's voter rolls, and I have been especially concerned that these purges have occurred so close to Election Day.

"In the two weeks before the 2023 Virginia General Assembly elections, the Youngkin Administration improperly removed 3,400 qualified voters, possibly in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. In his August 7, 2024 executive order, the Governor ordered daily systematic purges of voters resulting in the potential illegal purge of more eligible voters. The National Voter Registration Act requires all states to complete any systematic removal of ineligible voters no later than 90 days prior to a federal election for voters to have adequate time to remedy any improper removal. In its review of these 1,600 voters, the U.S. Department of Justice found multiple instances of incorrect removals due to bureaucratic errors or mistakes made by the individual when filling out forms. Judge Tolliver Giles' order recognizes that the Plaintiffs in this case are likely to succeed on the merits and would have suffered irreparable harm by denying their ability to exercise their right to vote at the ballot box on November 5^th.

"These efforts by Governor Youngkin and Republicans across the country are squarely within former President Trump's playbook to undermine confidence in our elections and call into question the results of this November's election if he does not win. There is no evidence that non-citizens are voting in any meaningful numbers, and to suggest otherwise is dishonest and only serves to undermine faith in our elections. These efforts only disenfranchise actual citizens from being able to exercise their right to vote. I expect the Governor and his administration to immediately reinstate these voters and notify them per the U.S. District Court's order. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Justice must vigorously investigate these matters to protect the right to vote for all who are eligible and hold accountable all who violate the law."

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