RICHMOND – Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay of a lower court order that would have required the state to restore thousands of voters back to the voter roll following an Executive Order from Governor Youngkin in August that purged more than 6,000 Virginians flagged as “non-citizens.”

In response to this ruling League of Conservation Voters and Virginia League of Conservation Voters, issued the following statements:

This yet another blatant attempt by extreme MAGA aligned justices to strip power from the people,” said Justin Kwasa, LCV Democracy Program Director. “We know when voters lose power, big polluters and those with more money in our politics win. This is a dangerous precedent to set for the country and an obvious move to undermine democracy days before the election.”

“Virginia LCV is disappointed but not surprised that the U.S. Supreme Court in a split decision ruled in favor of Glenn Youngkin’s plan to keep approximately 1,500 Virginia citizens from being able to execute their most sacred right as an American: voting,” said Michael Town, Executive Director of VALCV. “Let’s call this what it is: abusing power and hurting people simply to score political points. A healthy environment depends on a healthy democracy, and it’s painfully clear that this Administration values neither. Turning the page from this Supreme Court, with a majority hell-bent on removing, not protecting, the rights of Americans will take longer than an election cycle or two. But Virginians should take note and use their collective power to ensure they have elected officials who will work to strengthen and not erode our democracy.”

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A Washington Post investigation into the purge revealed that most of the individuals flagged by the order simply made paperwork errors at the Department of Motor Vehicles, and that of the three cases of illegal voting since 2022, none involved a question of citizenship.