Richmond, Virginia—On Friday, in the midst of a swirling national news cycle, Governor Glenn Youngkin released an executive order which, among other things, attempts to reinstate his controversial voter-purge program from 2024. The 2024 program, which affected hundreds of eligible voters, was halted by a lower court before the Supreme Court issued an emergency stay of the order, which allowed the purges to proceed. The order mandates continued state participation in the federal SAVE database, which has been criticized for faulty data collection and even before being put under the control of the AI-fueled “Doge” team. It requires that the Virginia Department of Elections works more closely with the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE.  The executive order also requires a statewide tabletop scenario exercise to be completed before early voting begins. These demands from the Governor were issued just a week before the start of early voting (which begins September 19th) and place new demands on the Department of Elections and local elections offices as they scramble to spin up for the start of election season. 

“Governor Youngkin’s executive order is another reckless and dangerous attempt to interfere with our democratic process,” said LaTwyla Mathias, Executive Director of Progress Virginia. “Virginia voters facing job losses, spiraling inflation, and loss of services are already clear that they do not like the Governor’s capitulation to the Trump regime, and Governor Youngkin is aware that his party is facing an uphill battle in the November elections. Like his friends in the national Republican party, he is aware that the best chance they have to win is through cheating and voter suppression. By reviving a voter purge scheme that already disenfranchised hundreds of eligible Virginians and doubling down on unreliable data sources and partnerships with federal immigration authorities, the Governor is sending a clear message: he’s more interested in eliminating votes than protecting them. This last-minute power grab, just days before early voting begins, is a direct attack on voters and local election officials who work tirelessly to ensure free and fair elections. Virginians deserve better than partisan manipulation masquerading as election integrity.”