"Non-citizens" voting in Virginia

An earlier DU diary reported that the US Dept of Justice is suing Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and his henchman Atty Gen Jason Miyares for violating federal law by purging "non-citizens" from the state's voting rolls within 90 days of an election. Predictably, Youngkin and Miyares have taken to their Facebook pages to whine about persecution by the feds.

This is what's happening.


SHORT VERSION

Governor Youngkin and his Atty General Jason “The Rookie” Miyares are pandering to Trump. Non-citizen voting in Virginia IS NOT HAPPENING.

LONG VERSION

VA has 133 “localities” – county or city. Each locality has a General Registrar/Director of Elections. Each locality has a three-member Electoral Board; two from the Governor’s party, one from the other party. Board members are nominated to the Chief Circuit Court Judge by the local Party chair, the judge appoints the member(s) for three-year staggered terms. I – a Democrat – have been an Electoral Board member in my little rural county for 12 years.

In VA and every other state, individuals can register to vote when they conduct business at DMV -- National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), also known as the Motor Voter Act.

The VA DMV form has a place to check Are you a United States Citizen -- YES or NO. The form also has a place to check Do you want to register to vote – YES or NO.

Each Registrar has an electronic inbox from the State Dept of Elections – known as “the hopper.” All day long, notices pop up in the Registrar’s hopper – voter change of address; voter moved out of state; new voter registration; notice of a task due today; and the like.

If a voter checks on the DMV from YES I want to register to vote, DMV sends that form to the Dept of Elections (ELECT). The ELECT system reads the voter’s name, address, SS#, and sends the DMV form to the respective registrar. If the voter checks NO I am not a US citizen on the DMV form, the notice pops up in the Registrar’s hopper in red letters NON-CITIZEN. The Registrar then sends a letter to the voter explaining “You checked NO I’m not a citizen; non-citizens cannot vote; you must submit proof of citizenship within 14 days or you will not be registered to vote.”

In my 12 years on our Board, there have been EIGHT such notices in our county – individual checked NO I’m not a citizen, Yes I want to register to vote. IN EACH CASE, THE INDIVIDUAL CONTACTED THE REGISTRAR WITH PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP AND SAID “I MUST HAVE CHECKED THE WRONG BOX.” Not to be racist or anything, but every single one of these people had a local name, a name common to our county – no “Hispanic” or “Asian” or “Middle Eastern” names. In fact, one guy turned out to be a former senior official in a US intelligence agency who retired to our Chesapeake-Bay-front county(!). All were confirmed US citizens who checked the wrong box on the DMV form -- it happens.

When the individual provides proof of citizenship to the Registrar, the individual is registered to vote, HOWEVER, no one ever goes back and corrects the DMV form – it stands forever with a NO in the citizen box.

NOW – here’s where bullshit enters the game.

Anyone – that is ANYONE with a few $$ to spare -- can contact DMV and request every DMV form that has been completed in the past XX years in which an individual checked NO, not a citizen. DMV will send a bill for a few thousand $$$, individual pays, and DMV sends an electronic file with all the “NO, not a citizen” forms for the past XX years.

Likewise, Anyone – that is ANYONE with a few $$ to spare -- can contact ELECT and request a list of every registered voter -- currently registered, registered XX years ago, etc., etc. ELECT will send a bill for a few thousand $$$, individual pays, and ELECT sends an electronic file of all the registered voters.

Then, with both lists in hand, our “researcher” compares the two lists where they will find individuals who checked NOT A CITIZEN on the DMV form, but, who are registered voters, thereby “proving” that non-citizens are voting. Right?? WRONG!!

What the “researcher” does not see, and what the records do not reflect, is the intervening step in which the Registrar requires proof of citizenship.

Currently, there are at least three self-appointed “research organizations” claiming that non-citizens are voting in VA based on their erroneous reading of the DMV and ELECT lists. I suspect Governor Youngkin is listening to some of these dumbasses.

Meanwhile, early voting has been going on in VA since SEP 20 and EVERY SINGLE DAY someone comes into our Registrar's office, votes, then demands to know why non-citizens are voting.

(NOTE: One of my favorite "election integrity organizations" calls itself the "Election Process Education Corporation," located at "9480 Main Street, Suite 1128, Fairfax, VA 22031." 9480 Main St in Fairfax is a Staples office supply store. "Suite 1128" is a mailbox at the store. The "director" of this organization is a guy living in Haymarket VA, operating a private recording studio that records local grunge garage bands and posts their "music" to Spotify. They don't answer phone or email.)