Gov. Youngkin highlights Virginia's election security efforts, including thousands of removals of deceased and non-citizens from voter rolls

By 
 August 10, 2024

Some Republican officials remain sharply focused on preventing fraudulent or illegal voting, much to the dismay of Democrats and the media who insist it is a non-existent problem that nobody should worry about.

Yet, according to Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, election integrity efforts in the commonwealth have resulted in the removal of more than 6,000 ineligible non-citizen voters from registration rolls, TheBlaze reported.

Additionally, in 2023 alone, nearly 80,000 deceased individuals were also removed from the rolls of registered voters in Virginia.

Legal votes shouldn't be "watered down" by illegal votes

On Wednesday, Gov. Youngkin announced that he had issued an executive order that was intended to "codify" the various "comprehensive election security measures" that have been implemented during his tenure in office.

"The Virginia model for Election Security works. This isn't a Democrat or Republican issue, it's an American and Virginian issue," Youngkin said in a statement. "Every legal vote deserves to be counted without being watered down by illegal votes or inaccurate machines. In Virginia, we don’t play games and our model for election security is working."

"We use 100% paper ballots with a strict chain of custody. We use counting machines, not voting machines, that are tested prior to every election and never connected to the internet. We do not mass-mail ballots. We monitor our drop boxes 24/7," he continued.

The governor added, "We verify the legal presence and identity of voters using DMV data and other trusted data sources to update our voter rolls daily, not only adding new voters, but scrubbing the lists to remove those that should not be on it, like the deceased, individuals that have moved, and non-citizens that have accidentally or maliciously attempted to register."

What Virginia is doing to secure its elections

Gov. Youngkin's executive order provided a summary of what his administration has accomplished with its various initiatives to strengthen election integrity and security, including sharing data with multiple states and databases and making use of a prospective voter's full nine-digit Social Security Number to verify their identity and eligibility to be registered.

Since January 2022, the initiatives have resulted in at least 6,303 ineligible non-citizens from the registered voter rolls, and in just 2023 alone, at least 79,867 deceased voters were similarly removed from the registration rolls.

The E.O. also stressed how Virginia only uses paper ballots with strict chain of custody procedures and daily reconciliation during early voting periods, how only ballot counting machines -- which are tested before every election and can't be connected to the internet -- are used instead of voting machines, and how applications are required for mail-in absentee ballots as well as how ballot drop-boxes are continuously monitored.

In order to ensure that those and other initiatives are successful, Youngkin's E.O. also directed relevant state officials to annually certify in writing that all election security procedures are complied with, that voter rolls are accurate and up-to-date with the prompt removal of ineligible voters, that non-citizens who attempt to register to vote are referred to prosecutors, and that election officials and voters are made aware of all election-related offenses and their penalties.

Trump says "every state should follow Virginia's lead"

Following Gov. Youngkin's announcement and executive order, he received high praise for his election integrity efforts from former President Donald Trump in a Truth Social post that said, "The beautiful Commonwealth of Virginia, superbly led by Governor Glenn Youngkin, IS TAKING A STRONG LEAD IN SECURING THE ELECTION IN NOVEMBER -- PROTECTING EVERY LEGAL VOTE AND KEEPING ILLEGAL ALIENS THAT HAVE BEEN LET INTO OUR COUNTRY FROM VOTING."

"All votes will be on paper ballots and counted safely and fairly, not by machines connected to the internet -- A big security risk. We must work hard to make sure the Election is FAIR and SECURE!!! EVERY STATE SHOULD FOLLOW VIRGINIA’S LEAD," he continued.

"We need volunteers to watch the polls -- So important," Trump added. "The Election on November 5th will be the MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION IN OUR COUNTRY’S HISTORY. Thank you Glenn, GREAT JOB!!!"

" A free people [claim] their rights, as derived from the laws of nature."
Thomas Jefferson