Current:Home > ScamsVirginia’s Democratic members of Congress ask for DOJ probe after voters removed from rolls in error -Infinite Profit Zone
Virginia’s Democratic members of Congress ask for DOJ probe after voters removed from rolls in error
View
Date:2025-04-19 05:42:21
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Democratic members of Virginia’s congressional delegation have called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate after an apparent administrative error led to at least 275 people being improperly removed from the state’s voter rolls.
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration acknowledged last week that it was working to address the problem, which it said stemmed from a misclassification of felony probation violations as felony convictions in data transmitted to the elections department by the state police.
In Virginia, a felony conviction automatically results in the loss of a person’s civil rights, such as the right to vote, serve on a jury, run for office and carry a firearm. The governor has the sole discretion to restore those civil rights, apart from firearm rights, which can be restored by a court.
Officials initially said the number of impacted voters was unclear; they have since said that 275 have been identified so far, all of whom will be quickly reinstated to the voter rolls.
A letter from the state’s two Democratic senators and six Democratic members of the House said the error has created a “barrier to the democratic process for these affected Virginians” with early voting already underway for the November election. It called on DOJ to look into the matter as a possible violation of the Voting Rights Act or other federal laws.
“We request immediate action by the Department of Justice to investigate how these recent removals happened and what is being done to ensure that those whose names were illegally removed from the voting rolls are informed so that they will know that they are in fact properly registered to vote in this election,” said the letter, which was sent Friday to Attorney General Merrick Garland and highlighted by some members in news releases Tuesday.
The Virginia Department of Elections said in a statement Tuesday that impacted voters will receive written notification that their registrations have been reinstated.
It also offered some pushback against the letter, saying it incorrectly claimed that voters were purged “without notice.”
“This is false. Anytime a voter’s registration is cancelled for any reason, they are mailed a written notice from their local general registrar,” the department’s statement said.
Macaulay Porter, a spokeswoman for Youngkin, said in a statement that the effort to determine which voters may have been improperly removed was ongoing.
“The governor is committed to ensuring those that are eligible, can vote,” Porter said.
Aryele Bradford, a spokesperson for the DOJ, said in an email that the department had received the letter but declined further comment.
Corinne Geller, a spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police, said the agency had not been contacted by DOJ about the matter. The agency has said previously it was making changes to the data it provided the Department of Elections.
The letter was signed by U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and Reps. Robert “Bobby” Scott, Gerry Connolly, Donald Beyer, Abigail Spanberger, Jennifer Wexton and Jennifer McClellan.
Every Virginia legislative seat is on the ballot this year.
veryGood! (84633)
Related
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- Salvage crews to begin removing first piece of collapsed Baltimore bridge
- 2024 men's NCAA Tournament Final Four dates, game times, TV, location, teams and more
- Your doctor might not be listening to you. AI can help change that.
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- LA Times updates controversial column after claims of blatant sexism by LSU's Kim Mulkey
- Police searching for Chiefs' Rashee Rice after alleged hit-and-run accident, per report
- No injuries or hazardous materials spilled after train derailment in Oklahoma
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- For years, we were told chocolate causes pimples. Have we been wrong all along?
Ranking
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- Easter weekend storm hits Southern California with rain and mountain snow
- Fulton County DA Fani Willis plans to take a lead role in trying Trump case
- Fulton County DA Fani Willis plans to take a lead role in trying Trump case
- Small twin
- Police fatally shoot Florida man in Miami suburb
- A California woman missing for more than a month is found dead near a small Arizona border town
- LSU's Flau'jae Johnson thrives on basketball court and in studio off of it
Recommendation
Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
Will Tiger Woods play in 2024 Masters? He was at Augusta National Saturday, per reports
Ohio authorities close case of woman found dismembered in 1964 in gravel pit and canal channel
Purdue's Matt Painter so close to career-defining Final Four but Tennessee is the last step
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
1 year after Evan Gershkovich's arrest in Russia, Biden vows to continue working every day for his release
A California woman missing for more than a month is found dead near a small Arizona border town
States move to shore up voting rights protections after courts erode federal safeguards