The VPM Daily Newscast contains all your Central Virginia news in just 5 to 10 minutes. Episodes are recorded the night before.
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Here’s a recap of the top stories on the morning of Oct. 26, 2023:
Youngkin orders Virginia Inspector General to investigate voter removals
Reported by VPM News’ Ben Paviour
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has ordered the Virginia Office of the Inspector General to investigate the removal of eligible voters from state rolls.
The issue, which was first reported by VPM News in late September, appeared to surface after ELECT announced in December that it had removed 10,558 people from voter rolls who’d had their rights restored but gone on to face new felony convictions. The department said its software hadn’t previously been tracking new convictions for that group.
Curious Commonwealth asks: Are Virginia open records laws weaker than other states?
Reported by VPM News’ Whittney Evans, Megan Pauly, Ben Paviour
As part of the Curious Commonwealth segment, a listener recently asked this question: “Attorneys have told me that Virginia has some of the weakest [Freedom of Information Act] laws in the country. Weak FOIA laws stymie governmental transparency, which is antithetical to representative democracy. What can we do to strengthen our FOIA laws in the interest of fostering more open government at the state and local level?”
While journalists are always interested in obtaining public records, Virginia’s FOIA laws are also aimed at helping the general public access information about their government. But some aspects of the commonwealth’s law make for less government transparency compared to other states, according to David Cuillier, director of the Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida.
In other news:
- Petition fails: Albemarle School Board extends Haas' contract (The Daily Progress)*
In case you missed it:
- Accusations of ‘tantrums’ and ‘tyranny’: Internal emails show how deep the divisions on Lynchburg City Council are. (Cardinal News)
*This outlet utilizes a paywall.
