McClellan Statement on Supreme Court’s Decision to Allow Youngkin’s Voter Purge to Resume

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) issued the following statement after the Supreme Court granted a stay of the lower court’s injunction of Governor Glenn Youngkin’s voter purge: 

“Governor Youngkin’s decision to purge 1,600 Virginians from the voter rolls 90 days before the election violates federal law. Governor Youngkin and Virginia officials further compounded the situation by failing to take any additional measures to verify impacted individuals’ citizenship status. We know lifelong Virginians and long-term voters were wrongfully removed from the rolls by this haphazard, shortsighted, and inaccurate voter purge. 

“Governor Youngkin’s purge and the Supreme Court’s refusal to stay the decision pending appeal on the merits demonstrate a blatant disregard for the fundamental right to vote of American citizens caught up in their zeal to prevent something that is already illegal and punishable by up to five years in prison. In a government by, of, and for the people, lawmakers and government officials should take extra steps to ensure they do not infringe on the right to vote of a single eligible American citizen. That did not happen here. 

“My office has already received calls from constituents who were inaccurately removed from the rolls. With less than a week until the most consequential election of our lifetime, impacted citizens must now take additional actions to ensure their vote will still count. It’s an unreasonable burden to place on voters in a state with an ugly history of voter suppression. I will continue fighting in Congress to shore up voter protections and ensure every American can exercise their fundamental right to vote.”