LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Hitting the road to face Virginia in their first ACC game away from home, the Louisville football program was able to get back in the win column, mounting a fourth quarter comeback to win 24-20 in Charlottesville.

“Really proud of our football team,” head coach Jeff Brohm said. “To come on the road, beat a team that’s 2-0 in the conference, in a back and forth game that wasn’t perfect by any means. But it was a hard, workmanlike job that our team did.

“I was proud of the work they put in this week, I was proud of the coaches’ work they put in this week. We made some strides. Obviously, there’s more to to do, and there’s many improvements to make, but we came out with a win. I was proud of our football team. They did a really good job.”

While Louisville did snap a two-game skid, the win came in spite of another overall disjointed effort from Louisville. Defensively, they gave up 449 total yards, and allowed Virginia to go 8-of-19 on third downs. Offensively, while they put up 408 yard themselves, the Cardinals went just 3-of-10 on third downs and committed six penalties (as part of eight overall).

Here’s what Brohm had to say following the win:

(Photo of Jeff Brohm: Amber Searls – Imagn Images)

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The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Friday that it filed a lawsuit against the Virginia Board of Elections (VBE) and the state Commissioner of Elections, claiming a state program allegedly violated federal voter registration requirements.

The lawsuit alleges the program violated the “quiet period” provision of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). The statute prohibits states from implementing programs that systematically remove voters from election lists within 90 days of a federal election. 

While states can operate programs to remove ineligible voters from election lists prior to the quiet period, the statute expressly prohibits any removal programs within the 90-day period.

In a Friday press release, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division explained that the provision is meant to prevent error and uncertainty leading up to elections.

“By cancelling voter registrations within 90 days of Election Day, Virginia places qualified voters in jeopardy of being removed from the rolls and creates the risk of confusion for the electorate,” Clarke said. “Congress adopted the National Voter Registration Act’s quiet period restriction to prevent error-prone, eleventh hour efforts that all too often disenfranchise qualified voters.”

The lawsuit follows an August 7 executive order by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin that directed the election board to update the election list by checking voter names and information against Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) data.

“Over ninety percent of voters in Virginia submit electronic registration applications online through the Department of Elections … which requires a valid [DMV] credential …” the order stated. “When issuing a credential such as a driver’s license, DMV verifies applicants proof of identity and legal status with the Department of Homeland Security … and Social Security database[s].”

Voters that were flagged by the system were sent a notice that required them to respond within 14 days, showing eligibility to vote. Those who did not respond were removed from election lists.

Governor Youngkin issued a press release with the order arguing the action would protect election integrity.

“This isn’t a Democrat or Republican issue, it’s an American and Virginian issue. Every legal vote deserves to be counted without being watered down by illegal votes or inaccurate machines,” Youngkin said. 

In its suit, the DOJ seeks to restore voters improperly removed from election lists, implement measures to prevent future quiet provision violations, require the state to issue mailings to educate voters on their restored rights, and apply adequate training programs for local officials and poll workers.

“The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy and the Justice Department will continue to ensure that the rights of qualified voters are protected,” Clarke said. 

The US Justice Dept sues Virginia for violating federal election law.

The Justice Department announced today that it has initiated a lawsuit against the State of Virginia, the Virginia State Board of Elections, and the Virginia Commissioner of Elections for violating federal law’s prohibition on systematic efforts to remove voters within 90 days of an election.

This legal action is in response to a state program that seeks to remove voters from the election rolls too close to the general election on November 5, which is seen as a violation of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). According to Section 8(c)(2) of the NVRA, known as the Quiet Period Provision, states must finish systematic efforts to remove ineligible voters from registration lists at least 90 days before federal elections. This provision is designed to ensure that states do not remove names from voter registration lists based on assumptions about eligibility, such as citizenship, at the time of registration.

“As the National Voter Registration Act mandates, officials across the country should take heed of the law’s crystal clear and unequivocal restrictions on systematic list maintenance efforts that fall within 90 days of an election,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “By cancelling voter registrations within 90 days of Election Day, Virginia places qualified voters in jeopardy of being removed from the rolls and creates the risk of confusion for the electorate. Congress adopted the National Voter Registration Act’s quiet period restriction to prevent error-prone, eleventh hour efforts that all too often disenfranchise qualified voters. The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy and the Justice Department will continue to ensure that the rights of qualified voters are protected.”

The Quiet Period serves as a crucial safeguard for voters, as systematic removal initiatives can often be fraught with errors, leading to confusion and the potential disenfranchisement of eligible voters just days or weeks before an election. This can leave individuals unable to rectify any mistakes made by the state in time to cast their votes or may discourage them from voting altogether.

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While states have various methods and reasons for removing names from official voter lists, they are prohibited from implementing such systematic removal programs too close to a federal election. On August 7, the governor of Virginia enacted an executive order mandating that the commissioner of the Department of Elections ensure the department is performing “Daily Updates to the Voter List.”

These updates involve “comparing the list of individuals identified as non-citizens” by the State Department of Motor Vehicles with the list of currently registered voters. Local registrars are then tasked with notifying any individuals whose registrations are at risk of cancellation unless they can confirm their citizenship within 14 days. The notice instructs recipients, who are indeed U.S. citizens and eligible to vote, to fill out and return an Affirmation of Citizenship form.

It also warns that failure to respond within the 14-day window will result in their removal from the registered voter list. This procedure has unfortunately led to the cancellation of voter registrations for U.S. citizens.

The executive order has established a formal procedure for maintaining an ongoing list, which has continued into the quiet period, with activities noted as recently as late September. This organized voter removal initiative, being conducted by the State within 90 days of the upcoming federal election, is in violation of the Quiet Period Provision.

The Justice Department is seeking injunctive relief to ensure that affected eligible voters can cast their ballots freely on Election Day and to prevent any future violations of the quiet period. Additionally, the department aims to implement remedial mailings to inform eligible voters about the restoration of their rights and to provide proper training for local officials and poll workers to alleviate confusion and mistrust among voters who have been wrongly identified as noncitizens.

The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, along with U.S. Attorney Jessica Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia and U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh for the Western District of Virginia.

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