Youngkin Backs Virginia's Decision to Remove Non-Citizens from Voter Rolls: ‘This Is Common Sense’

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin is standing firm on his decision to remove non-citizens from the state's voter rolls, calling it a "common sense" move required by state law. In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Youngkin addressed the Biden-Harris administration's recent lawsuit to halt these removals, which the administration claims violate federal election law by taking place within 90 days of an election.

“This is a law that’s been on our books since 2006,” Youngkin said, referring to a measure signed by then-Democratic Governor Tim Kaine. The law mandates that the state use DMV data to identify individuals who have self-reported as non-citizens and cross-check them against the voter rolls. If a match is found, the individual is notified and given 14 days to affirm their citizenship. If they fail to do so, they are removed from the rolls.

Youngkin pointed out that previous Democratic governors, Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam, employed the same process within 90 days of elections. “I have an obligation, no discretion, to notify that person... If they don’t clear it up, they’re gonna be removed from the voter rolls,” he emphasized.

Youngkin criticized the timing of the Biden-Harris administration’s lawsuit, noting that they waited until just 25 days before the election to file it. He argued that the administration could have initiated the lawsuit months earlier if they were truly concerned about the process. “This seems far more political,” Youngkin remarked, highlighting that the process has been in place for 17 years without issue until now.

Since Youngkin took office, over 6,300 non-citizens have been removed from Virginia’s voter rolls. These are individuals who self-identified as non-citizens and were given ample time to correct their status before being taken off the rolls. Youngkin rejected Tapper’s attempt to frame the effort as a “purging program,” insisting, “It begins with someone identifying themselves as a non-citizen.”

The governor posed a simple question: “Do you think that non-citizens, when they’ve [themselves] identified as a non-citizen, should stay on the voter roll and potentially vote in a presidential election?” The answer, according to Youngkin and most Americans, is obvious. Removing non-citizens from voter rolls is not only common sense, but also a necessary safeguard to ensure election integrity.

While the left may try to paint this move as discriminatory or politically motivated, Youngkin is simply following the law and protecting the sanctity of Virginia’s elections. In a time when election security is paramount, the Biden administration's lawsuit appears more like an act of desperation than a genuine concern for voters’ rights.

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