Jimmy Williams The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday to permit Virginia to revive a plan targeting the removal of noncitizens from voter rolls, a decision that reinstates a program previously halted by a federal judge just days before Election Day. In a brief order, the court’s six conservative justices approved the …
Read More »DOJ Sues Virginia Over Voter Roll Purge Ahead of Election
Jimmy Williams The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Friday that it has filed a lawsuit against Virginia, alleging that the state violated federal voting laws by purging its voter rolls within 90 days of an election. The lawsuit challenges Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin’s executive order, which required daily updates …
Read More »Virginia Republicans Embraced A 15-week Abortion Ban — And Then Lost
Mel Leonor Barclay, Shefali Luthra Originally published by The 19th Virginia Republicans bet their fate on a strategy that they hoped would neutralize abortion rights and warnings from Democrats: Embrace a 15-week abortion ban with some exceptions and convince voters such a measure is a “common sense,” consensus limit. Republicans …
Read More »How Abortion Factors Into Five Major Elections On Tuesday
Elisha Brown, Michigan Advance It’s Election Day. Results could serve as a barometer for key issues ahead of 2024’s presidential race. Abortion is directly on the ballot on Tuesday in Ohio and underscoring contests in several states. Here’s a primer: Ohio Issue 1 asks voters whether to guarantee state constitutional rights …
Read More »What Virginia’s Elections Could Mean For LGBTQ+ People
Orion Rummler, Mel Leonor Barclay Originally published by The 19th Even as Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has worked to restrict the rights of trans youth, Virginia remains the sole state in the South with more protections for LGBTQ+ people than discriminatory policies — a status that could change after this …
Read More »Jennifer McClellan To Be First Black Woman To Represent Virginia in Congress
Graham Moomaw, Virginia Mercury State Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, defeated Republican pastor Leon Benjamin in Tuesday’s special election for a Richmond-centered seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, a victory that will make her Virginia’s first Black congresswoman. McClellan, a corporate attorney who has championed progressive causes like abortion access …
Read More »Virginia Governor Opposes Shielding Menstrual App Data From Search Warrants
Graham Moomaw, Virginia Mercury A proposal to put menstrual data stored on period-tracking apps beyond the reach of Virginia authorities failed in the state House of Delegates Monday after Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration expressed opposition to the idea for the first time. The legislation, which had passed the Democratic-controlled Senate …
Read More »Biden Visits Virginia To Tout Economic Progress
President Joe Biden spoke at a union hall in northern Virginia Thursday afternoon, attempting to cast himself as a defender of the middle class by leaning into his economic accomplishments and contrasting them with the Republican proposals he says would be catastrophic for Americans’ pocketbooks. “We’re moving in the right …
Read More »Yet Another Mass Shooting in US as Gunman Kills at Least 6 in Virginia Walmart
A gunman opened fire inside a Chesapeake, Virginia Walmart late Tuesday, killing at least six people and wounding others in the latest mass shooting in the United States, which has seen more than 600 this year alone. Reuters reported that local police “have so far not provided any details about …
Read More »After Chesapeake, UVA Shootings, Virginia Gov. Youngkin To Propose Mental Health Agenda
Charlie Paullin, Virginia Mercury Following the second mass shooting in Virginia in as many weeks that left 7 dead as of midday Wednesday, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin said his administration plans to propose legislation to the General Assembly this winter to bolster mental health resources. While offering few details to …
Read More »Youngkin Administration Overhauls Virginia Transgender Student Policies
Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration quietly released a document Friday overhauling Virginia’s policy on the treatment of transgender students, citing “parental rights.” The “Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for all Students and Parents in Virginia’s Public Schools” published by the Virginia Department of …
Read More »Virginia AG Announces 20-Person ‘election integrity unit’
Graham Moomaw, Virginia Mercury Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares is creating a new unit dedicated to ensuring “legality and purity in elections,” his office announced Friday. The 20-person team, the attorney general’s office said, will investigate and prosecute potential violations of election law and be a legal resource for state …
Read More »Former Trump Aide Mark Meadows Removed From North Carolina Voter Roll Amid Election Fraud Investigation
Mark Meadows, chief of staff for former President Donald Trump and a former N.C. congressman, was removed from North Carolina voter rolls this week after officials confirmed he was also registered to vote in Virginia. Macon County Board of Elections Director Melanie Thibault confirmed to the Asheville Citizen Times this week that …
Read More »Virginia School Boards Sue Gov. Youngkin For Lifting Mask Mandate
An executive order about mask-wearing inside schools by new Virginia Governor Glen Youngkin went into effect Monday morning. A few hours after the order went into effect, officials announced that school boards of seven school districts filed a lawsuit to challenge Youngkin’s executive order. Alexandria City, Arlington County, City of …
Read More »Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin Ends School Mask Mandates On First Day In Office
On Saturday, Republican Glenn Youngkin was sworn in as Virginia’s 74th Governor. He’s the first Republican governor in the state in over a decade. Youngkin defeated former Democratic Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe in November of last year. Just hours after being sworn in, Youngkin signed nine executive orders and two executive …
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