Falls Church, Va. — Phoebe Taylor was fully prepared to participate in Tuesday’s election, even knowing her precinct number in Richmond without needing to check. However, she was taken aback when informed by a reporter that she had been removed from Virginia’s voter rolls alongside around 1,600 others in a recent attempt to prevent noncitizens from voting.
“This is quite frustrating for me,” remarked Taylor, 26. “I had no idea this was happening.”
Taylor is part of the group of 1,600 individuals whose voting eligibility was uncertain until the U.S. Supreme Court gave Virginia the green light to proceed with its original plan for voter roll removals. A few days prior, a federal judge and the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had mandated Virginia to restore those voter registrations, asserting that the state illegally purged these individuals during a federally required 90-day quiet period before elections to prevent unintended disenfranchisement.
Taylor suspects that the issue arose from her initial driver’s license application as a teenager at a time when she was not yet a U.S. citizen. Nevertheless, she confirmed she has held citizenship for several years now. She also admitted that her infrequent checks of the mail might have led her to miss any communication from the election office regarding her registration status.
Another Richmond resident, 66-year-old Eric Terrell, also learned his voter registration had been mistakenly canceled. He discovered the issue while inquiring about his absentee ballot request through several phone calls to the elections office, which finally informed him about his removal from the voter list.
The elections office assured Terrell that he could still vote on Tuesday by utilizing Virginia’s same-day registration option. Although his ballot would be provisional, state officials indicated that approximately 98% of provisional ballots are included in the final count. Terrell expressed his contentment with the situation, believing that the error stemmed from a mistake on a DMV application concerning his citizenship.
“I’m not particularly worried as long as I can vote,” he said during a phone conversation.
The extent to which the 1,600 affected registrations included legitimate citizens remains uncertain, as various advocacy groups and media sources have reported numerous instances of citizens wrongly removed from voter rolls. A small sample check showed a mix of individuals who claimed wrongful removal and those who confirmed their noncitizen status.
Those whose registrations were canceled have the opportunity for same-day registration, available on Election Day or during the early voting period, which ends on Saturday. When registering, individuals must affirm their citizenship but are not required to provide evidence.
Thalia Simpson, a spokeswoman for the Office of Elections in Prince William County, encourages affected voters to take advantage of the same-day registration option, noting that voters across the spectrum have been utilizing this service in significant numbers during early voting.
The overall impact of the cancellations in Virginia appears minimal, with the 1,600 affected registrations representing less than 0.03% of the state’s 6 million registered voters. “It’s unclear if this will have a major impact,” stated David Becker, former U.S. Justice Department lawyer and current director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research. “While there is strong evidence indicating some citizens were flagged, Virginia’s same-day registration might mitigate the issue.”
Polling analysis suggests Vice President Kamala Harris maintains a comfortable lead over former President Donald Trump in Virginia. Though regarded as a battleground state as recently as 2012, Virginia has shown a trend towards Democratic candidates over the past decade. Incumbent Democratic Senator Tim Kaine reportedly holds an even larger advantage against his GOP challenger.
Trump has frequently struggled in Virginia, losing to both Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020. Nevertheless, he continues to campaign actively, with a visit planned for Saturday in Salem, Virginia, following an event in New Mexico, which is not a critical battleground state.
“We have a genuine opportunity here,” Trump said during a call to a rally in the Richmond area. “Polls indicate we’re nearly tied.”
In response, Susan Swecker, chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia, suggested that Trump’s appearance in Salem would only serve to increase Harris’s lead. “Kamala Harris will win Virginia convincingly, as he is aware, and any visit from this delusional individual will only expand the margin,” she asserted.
Not all voters removed from the rolls were eager to cast their ballots. Abdullah Al Mosawa, who became a citizen around five years ago, shared that he was hesitant about participating in the upcoming presidential election. “Given our current options, I would likely lean towards a third-party vote if I decided to participate,” he expressed.