ALEXANDRIA, Va.—A federal judge in Virginia has halted the commonwealth’s recent program to purge noncitizens from its voter rolls in an expedited fashion, holding that the policy comes too close to the November election.
Virginia’s program, announced on Aug. 7 by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, constituted a “clear violation” of the National Voter Registration Act’s (NVRA) prohibition on systematic attempts to clean up its voter rolls 90 days before an election, Judge Patricia Giles of the Eastern District of Virginia said during a hearing on Oct. 25.
Giles gave her order orally from the bench after a hearing on Oct. 24, during which the Justice Department and private plaintiffs urged her to issue a preliminary injunction. It comes just nine days before voters head to the polls in November, raising questions about the timing and practicality of changes just before an election….