More Than 1,600 Voters Removed in Virginia Under Noncitizen Program

State officials have defended the removals based on noncitizen self-identification at Virgina’s Department of Motor Vehicles.

A woman picks out a sticker after voting on the first day of in-person early voting at Long Bridge Park Aquatics and Fitness Center in Arlington, Virginia, on September 20, 2024. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

More than 1,600 people have been removed from voter rolls in Virginia since August under the state’s program targeting noncitizens, which the Department of Justice (DOJ) and advocacy groups, who are suing the state, contend is illegal.

The scope of the removals was revealed after a federal magistrate, on Oct. 21, ordered the state to disclose the names and addresses of those removed to plaintiff groups, including the DOJ and the League of Women Voters.