NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Rep. Bobby Scott, a Democrat representing Virginia's 3rd district, voiced concerns over the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling Wednesday that Virginia can continue to purge voter registrations for people the state said are noncitizens.
Early Wednesday, SCOTUS granted an emergency appeal, which allows Virginia to resume the purge of voter registrations of noncitizens.
This comes after U.S. District Court Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles found the commonwealth illegally purged more than 1,600 voter registrations in the past two months.
In August, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order calling for the purge exactly 90 days before election day. Youngkin says it was issued to prevent noncitizens from voting in this year's election.
Watch: US Supreme Court allows Virginia to resume purge of voter registrations
“I am deeply disappointed and disturbed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to greenlight blatant voter suppression efforts in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This decision will allow Governor Youngkin to strip Virginians of their right to vote in clear violation of federal law," Scott said in a press release.
"This decision also perpetuates the falsehood that noncitizens are voting in meaningful numbers and former President Trump’s plan to undermine confidence in our elections," said Scott.
According to the Associated Press's reporting, voting by noncitizens is rare, but the idea of immigrants voting illegally has been a big talking point of political messaging this year from former president Donald Trump and other Republicans.
Watch: Virginia asks Supreme Court to reinstate removal of 1600 voter registrations
“The National Voter Registration Act is clear. It requires all states to complete any systematic removal of voters from its voter rolls 90 days before a federal election. This statute gives states ample time prior to this deadline to review its voter rolls. Most importantly, it provides voters sufficient time to rectify any improper removal prior to Election Day. U.S. District Court Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles determined that Governor Youngkin’s actions violated this statute, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld her order citing the Commonwealth’s defense of the action as ‘weak’ and that it ‘violates basic principles of statutory construction.’ Furthermore, the Fourth Circuit recognized that the Commonwealth maintains the ability to remove ineligible voters on an individualized basis to limit the risk of improper removals.
“Unfortunately, this latest order by the Supreme Court is just one in a series of rulings that have rolled back fundamental rights, freedoms and foundational principles of our democracy. This Court gutted key provisions of the Voting Rights Act, stripped women of their right to make decisions about their own body, diminished the ability of federal agencies to protect communities from toxic pollutants, and created the foundation for a President of the United States to be immune from the law.”
