Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order removing 6,303 noncitizens who had attempted to register to vote, stating that American elections should be decided by American citizens. Former President Donald Trump and others praised the order, claiming it was keeping “illegals” from voting. However, the order did not specify if any of the removed individuals had actually voted or turned out to be citizens later on. The rhetoric around noncitizen voting is seen as propagating falsehoods and eroding confidence in the electoral process.
Youngkin’s order was criticized by voting, civil, and immigrant rights groups who called for more transparency and information about the individuals removed from the voter lists. Errors in the voter registration process, particularly at the Department of Motor Vehicles, have led to the presence of noncitizens on voter rolls. The use of the SAVE system to verify voter rolls has also been questioned for its reliability.
Local officials in Virginia have reported cases of citizens being flagged and removed from voter rolls due to errors in answering citizenship questions. Youngkin’s announcement of noncitizen voters has been seen as fueling election denial and potentially leading to legislation that restricts voting access.
Overall, noncitizen voting is considered rare and not a widespread problem, with Clapman from the Brennan Center for Justice highlighting that such claims can undermine faith in election results and make it harder to vote. Virginia has a history of mistakes in voter removals, including misclassifying legal voters as felons. Voter, civil, and immigrant rights groups emphasize the importance of protecting eligible voters’ rights and ensuring transparency in election security measures.
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