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. 15, 2024
Federal lawsuits put Virginia voter removals back in the spotlight
Reported by VPM News’ Jahd Khalil
For the second consecutive year, questions are being raised over Virginia’s voter rolls.
The removals in question are tied to an executive order filed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin directing the state’s election commissioner to certify that noncitizens are removed from voter rolls on a daily basis, among other measures, to ensure the accuracy of voter lists.
Last year, thousands of voters who had previously been convicted of a felony and had their rights restored were removed from the rolls. At the time, ACLU of Virginia policy strategist Shawn Weneta called the situation “unprecedented and unconstitutional.” The governor called for the Virginia Office of the Inspector General to investigate.
Virginia in 2023 also withdrew from the Electronic Registration Information Center, a multistate bipartisan consortium aimed at maintaining accurate voter registration records.
Both Youngkin and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson responded to the DOJ lawsuit, alleging that the Biden administration wants noncitizens to vote.
Tuesday is the deadline to register for 2024 general election
Reported by VPM News
More than 120,000 Virginians registered to vote between July and September, according to the state’s elections department. Over half of the new registrants are women, and approximately 45% are 25 or younger.
Officially, Tuesday is the last day to register to vote or update an existing registration before Election Day on Nov. 5 — but would-be voters who miss the deadline still have options.
Virginia is one of 23 states that offers same-day voter registration, which allows eligible voters to register and cast a ballot at the same time. Most same-day voters receive provisional ballots, which are handled, tracked and counted differently from standard ballots.
In other news:
- The secretive dynasty that controls the Boar’s Head brand (The New York Times)*
- Harrisonburg High students, staff adjust after school split (Daily News-Record)*
- State's college savings plan, Virginia529, gets new name (Richmond Times-Dispatch)*
In case you missed it:
- Week after acquittal, Otieno family criticizes prosecution, renews call for DOJ help (The Progress-Index)*
- Virginia state legislators discuss policies and social issues at Center for Politics event (The Cavalier Daily)
*This outlet utilizes a paywall.