Charlottesville, Va.— Virginia Organizing is disheartened about the Supreme Court decision to resume a voter purge that has illegally removed the votes of 1,600 eligible voters from election rolls one week before the November election. Many of the voters who have been removed from the rolls are eligible voters from Lynchburg, Henrico, Roanoke, and Woodbridge who have been voting for decades and wrongfully called “non-citizens.” It is the job of the Supreme Court to protect citizens, not to alienate them. 

“At Virginia Organizing, we believe that uplifting one’s voice and building collective power are sacred and fundamental rights, and that the voices of every community member should be honored. That is one reason why we particularly disappointed that this has occurred,” said Brian Johns, Executive Director of Virginia Organizing. 

Not only does this voter purge violate federal law that prohibits states from purging voters within 90 days of an election, but it also relies on a flawed system designed to target specific groups. It goes against the system of checks and balances on which our country was founded, and the principles upon which our democratic processes are built. 

We choose our leaders – our leaders do not choose their voters. We cannot allow our freedom to elect officials who will fight for our rights to be threatened. The outcome of elections is decided by our votes, not the courts. We demand that our officials, whether elected or appointed, respect our freedom to cast our ballots, have them counted, and ensure the will of the people.

The state of Virginia allows voters to register at their polling place. Voters in Virginia who find themselves removed from the rolls should re-register at their polling place when they go to cast their ballot. Voters can learn more and check their registration at the Virginia Department of Elections Website.

Any voters with questions, including on how to use Virginia’s Same Day Registration process, should call or text the Election Protection Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE, or call one of the bilingual Election Protection hotlines at 888-VE-Y-VOTA (Spanish); 844-YALLA-US (Arabic); or 888-API-VOTE (Bengali, Cantonese, Hindi, Korean, Mandarin, Punjabi, Tagalog, Urdu, Vietnamese).

For more information or to interview a spokesperson for Virginia Organizing, please contact Michelle Tabbanor at 434-422-1012 or mtabbanor@virginia-organizing.org.