Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) criticized a Department of Justice (DOJ) suit against his state over the purging of voter rolls Sunday.
“ To be clear, this is not a purge ,” Youngkin said on “Fox News Sunday” to anchor Shannon Bream about voter roll removals.
“This is based on a law that was signed into effect in 2006 by then-Democrat Governor Tim Kaine,” Youngkin added, explaining that there is an “individualized process” to determine whether self-identified noncitizens are able to vote in the state.
If voters do not affirm their citizenship status, they are removed from the rolls, the governor said.
Earlier this month, the Justice Department unveiled a lawsuit against Virginia for voter roll purging. According to the department, Virginia officials violated the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 by challenging the eligibility of voters too close to the upcoming election.
“As the National Voter Registration Act mandates, officials across the country should take heed of the law’s crystal clear and unequivocal restrictions on systematic list maintenance efforts that fall within 90 days of an election,” Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Division, said.