Youngkin Vote Purge Includes Lawful Voters and Loses in Court But Appeals Begin; Trump Has Another Racist Hate Rally and Virginia GOP Stays Silent; Scott, McClellan Lead Strolls to Polls
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Facts and Evidence in Court Reveal that Youngkin Administration Purged Lawful Voters from the Virginia Voting Rolls
ALEXANDRIA, VA— Two days after an Oct. 21 court order by U.S. Magistrate Judge William Porter granted expedited discovery and revealed the details of the names removed from the Virginia voter file, it was confirmed: Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Administration removed lawful voters from the Virginia voting rolls.
In a crowded Alexandria courtroom on Oct. 24, the truth became clear as lawyers for Gov. Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares, led by attorney Chuck Cooper, failed in court. U.S. District Court for the Eastern District Judge Patricia Giles, a Biden appointee, was asking for evidence that 1,600 voters were ineligible to vote, what the process was for their removal, and what evidence there was they were non-citizens. She wasn’t getting clear answers.
The next morning on Oct. 25, Judge Giles issued a ruling, “requiring the Commonwealth of Virginia to cease a program to remove voters from Virginia’s voting rolls between now and the Nov. 5 general election.”
“The court further ordered the Commonwealth to issue guidance to all Virginia general registrars to immediately restore voters whose registrations were canceled because of the program unless those voters requested removal or are subject to removal for other reasons,” a release from the Department of Justice on Judge Giles’ decision read.
The Department of Justice sued Virginia on Oct. 11 after 1,600 individuals were removed from the Virginia vote file. Now the details of who was removed are emerging.
Judge Giles found that Youngkin’s voter purge violated the National Voter Registration Act, which prevents states from removing ineligible voters from the rolls within 90 days of the election. Gov. Youngkin signed an executive order on Aug. 7, 2024, exactly 90 days before election day Nov. 5, 2024, declaring a need to, “Codify Comprehensive Election Security Measures to Protect Legal Voters and Accurate Counts,” presenting no evidence that a problem with Virginia’s “election security” exists. In that Aug. 7 order, Youngkin mandated the the voter file be updates daily rather than monthly.
“This is PSA: Only US citizens are eligible to vote in federal elections. @GovernorVA was purging eligible voters illegally in the federally prohibited 90 days before an election. Again, we only want U.S. citizens who are eligible to vote to actually vote,” wrote Virginia House Speaker Don Scott on Oct. 25, responding to Gov. Youngkin’s assertion that, “a federal judge ordered Virginia to reinstate over 1,500 individuals–who self-identified themselves as noncitizens–back onto the voter rolls.”
“Let’s be clear: we have already heard of multiple U.S. Citizens - not just non-citizens like the Governor claims - who have been wrongfully and illegally purged from the voter rolls right before an election by Gov. Youngkin’s program. Glad to see it’s been overturned,” wrote State Senator Saddam Salim of Fairfax on Oct. 25 regarding the Youngkin Administration’s violation of federal law.
The Alexandria court hearing and an investigation by The Washington Post revealed that Virginia has been removing some voters from the rolls based on an unchecked box at the top of a form at the DMV inquiring about citizenship. Republicans led by their presidential nominee Donald Trump are attempting to market the argument that “illegals”are unlawfully sneaking on to the rolls to vote.
Trump began lying about “illegals” voting in 2016 after losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by 2.8 million votes. Trump then lied again about “election security” after losing to President Joe Biden in 2020 by over 7 million votes. Lying about “ballot security” has now become standard strategy in the GOP after losing elections.
Attorney General Miyares has prosecuted no one for unlawfully voting in Virginia. The argument currently made by Gov. Youngkin in his Oct. 25 release fits into the broader claims by Donald Trump that immigrants from Mexico and other countries are connected to crime, the housing shortage and various other problems in U.S. society. But the assertions are connected to no evidence.
The fact remains that Virginia removed lawful voters from the voting rolls after a Aug. 7, 2024 executive order signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin and administered by Board of Elections Commissioner Susan Beals.
RELATED: Meet some Virginians who almost lost their right to vote after being declared ‘noncitizens’ - Cardinal News, Oct. 25, 2024
What was confirmed in federal court last week was that Virginia violated the National Voter Registration Act. Gov. Youngkin’s August 7, 2024 executive order, which called for a daily check of the voter file, rather than a monthly one, was signed exactly 90 days before Election Day on Nov. 5, 2024.
Governor Glenn Youngkin released the following statement after a federal judge ruled to reinstate individuals back onto the voter rolls on Oct. 25, 2024 by court order:
"Let’s be clear about what just happened: only eleven days before a Presidential election, a federal judge ordered Virginia to reinstate over 1,500 individuals–who self-identified themselves as noncitizens–back onto the voter rolls. Almost all these individuals had previously presented immigration documents confirming their noncitizen status, a fact recently verified by federal authorities.
An appeal of the ruling by Judge Giles by the Youngkin Administration was denied by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Oct. 27.
The Court of Appeals rejected Virginia’s request to restart its voter purge program that included lawful voters. Virginia and team Youngkin will now appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
A statement by Attorney General Jason Miyares today read, “last night, Virginia filed an emergency stay in the US Supreme Court. Americans citizens — and no one else — should determine American elections.”
LISTEN: Laura Vozzella and Greg Schneider: Executive Order 35 and the Voter Roll Purge on Pod Virginia
Trump Holds Another Racist Hate Rally: Virginia Republicans Remain Dead Silent
HAMPTON, VA — As the Hampton NAACP, the fastest growing NAACP Chapter in the country, handed out awards to life members at the Hampton Roads Convention Center on the night of Oct. 28, another gathering was taking place in New York.
Donald Trump held a much talked about rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The first speaker, a “comedian” said the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico was a “floating island of garbage.” The racist “joke” won quick negative social media response and condemnation. It also triggered quick support for the campaign of Vice President Harris from mega-stars or Puerto Rican heritage including Bad Bunny (45.5 million on Instagram), Jennifer Lopez (250 million on Instagram) and Ricky Martin (18 million on Instagram).
When Trump finally took the stage hours later he repeated and tripled down on his usual hatred and scapegoating of immigrants of color, spoke of “the enemy within” and again featured an unfounded connection between immigration and rising crime — assertions he’s made into a centerpiece of his 2024 for the White House.
“The United States is an occupied country,” Trump said in New York last night. On Oct. 26, Trump called in to a rally in Chesterfield, Virginia headlined by his daughter-in-law Lara Trump and attended by Gov. Glenn Youngkin and other top Republicans in Virginia.
For Virginia Republicans, Trump’s Racism Isn’t Disqualifying
None of Virginia’s top Republicans have spoken out against Trump’s continuous racism and stereotyping of communities of color. The racism from Trump has continued since his 2015 announcement for president against Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
RELLATED: Donald Trump’s false comments connecting Mexican immigrants and crime, Washington Post, 2015
During the 2024 campaign Trump has vilified and hurled racist stereotypes at immigrants from Haiti, the Congo, Mexico and Venezuela. Republicans in Virginia, including Governor Glenn Youngkin, Lt. Governor Winsome Sears and Attorney General Jason Miyares have remained silent on the hatred and open racism by Trump, the leader of their party and top of ticket in the 2024 race.
Two Republicans and former members of Congress in Virginia, Barbara Comstock and Denver Riggleman, have endorsed Vice President Harris for President over Trump.
After yet another firestorm of criticism, Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez said in a rare statement that the racist joke regarding Puerto Rico, “does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.” But the latest racist incident fit well into a barrage of negative racist statements from the stage at many Trump events, coming typically by the candidate himself.
That stage is likely to be shared by Virginia’s Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and other Virginia Republicans on Nov. 2, 2024 in Salem, Virginia. Salem will be Donald Trump’s next and likely final rally in Virginia for the 2024 campaign. Gov. Youngkin attended a Trump rally in Chesapeake, Va. on June 28. Youngkin was also see seated next to Trump at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July.
Meanwhile, latest poll numbers by The Washington Post are showing Vice President Harris leading Trump in Virginia.
NAACP Event in Hampton Honors Life Members
HAMPTON, VA — At the Hampton Roads Convention Center yesterday, the Hampton NAACP awarded their lifetime members with hundreds in attendance.
Though the event was not a political function, the state of the U.S. culturally and politically with an election only nine days away was the backdrop. The keynote speaker, journalist Barbara Ciara of WTKR delivered the keynote.
Democrats Rally in Richmond, Norfolk, Hampton, Dumfries and Newport News
RICHMOND, VA — Several Souls to the Polls and Stroll to the Polls events took place on Oct. 27 in Virginia. Democrats have held staggered Souls to the Polls and Stroll to the Polls events on Saturdays and Sundays for the final weekends of the 2024 presidential campaign.
Even though much of the 2024 political attention has been on the epic and historic race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, a endless list of local races for Mayor, School Board, City Council and Congress are also on the ballot. Congressman Bobby Scott, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan and Speaker Don Scott were at three Souls to the Polls events in Norfolk, Newport News, Richmond and Prince William.
Brooklyn Congressman and possible next Speaker of the U.S. House Hakeem Jeffries headlined the Souls to the Polls rally in Prince William to support Eugene Vindman in Virginia’s seventh congressional district. Vindman is running against Derrick Anderson in a competitive race.
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