Virginia
Should legislators tweak Virginia’s 2006 voter roll law for more clarity? • Virginia Mercury
Virginia officials have asked the United States Supreme Court to block a lower court’s ruling that roughly 1,600 people purged from voter rolls by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s executive order must be reinstated. Two lawsuits allege that Youngkin’s order violated federal law by removing voters from rolls too close to Election Day, a claim the governor refutes by pointing to a 2006 state law as the basis of his action.
Virginia asks Supreme Court to block order to reinstate 1600 people stripped from voter rolls
The situation has raised questions on whether state lawmakers should consider amending that law for additional clarity and to avoid future legal disputes over how Virginia confirms voter registration shortly before elections.
The 2006 law
Youngkin has said repeatedly that his executive order was built on a 2006 state law for voter roll cleanups, which directs the Department of Motor Vehicles to send data to the State Board of Elections of people who failed to indicate U.S. citizenship in paperwork. There’s a process of notification and then purging of voters who fail to prove their citizenship, and in previous years, the process was done on a monthly basis. Youngkin’s order directed DMV and Elections Department officials to perform it daily.
The lawsuits the state and Youngkin face say Youngkin’s order ran afoul of the National Voter Registration Act, which institutes a “quiet period” on such actions 90 days before an election. Several state lawmakers have signaled they agree with that allegation, including House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, who previously told The Mercury “The reason that we have this 90-day rule is that we don’t want citizens to be accidentally removed.”
Privileges and Elections Committee chair Sen. Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach, called Youngkin’s order “reckless” and alleged that it’s being used to “fire up the (Republican) base.”
“When you actually look at the issue of the matter, it’s the 90-day quiet period,” Rouse said.
The courts will decide the matter concerning the legal challenges, John Aughenbaugh, a political science professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, said.
But he added that the Youngkin administration “brought this on themselves” by issuing the order so close to the 90-day federal threshold.
However, Aughenbaugh said, “I can understand why the Youngkin admin told Fox News ‘we didn’t think we were doing anything wrong,’” in citing the 2006 law.
That measure was carried by former republican state Sen. Ken Cucinelli and signed by former Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine. At that time, Republican President George Bush’s Department of Justice had issued a memo that it didn’t object to the law.
In the time since, no one has challenged it, until the two suits against Youngkin.
An argument in Attorney General Jason Miyares’ Supreme Court filing notes confusion on when the federal 90-day law should overpower the 2006 state law.
“The current confusion surrounding the NVRA makes the rules anything but clear,” Miyares’ petition reads. “States are unaware of when, or whether, they can remove noncitizens from the voter rolls. They need to know with certainty whether they can remove noncitizens at any point, only outside of the Quiet Period, or never.”
On Tuesday, the Republican National Committee and Republican Party of Virginia also filed a brief in support of the state’s SCOTUS request.
Virginia GOP calls on U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate Youngkin’s voter purge order
Rouse said there hasn’t yet been talk between himself and other members of the Privileges and Elections Committee about tweaking the 2006 law to spell out the 90-day threshold of the NVRA.
“We haven’t had those conversations,” he said.
As to resolving any confusion, Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin County, said that the state legislature broadly is always looking at ways past laws might need to be amended.
“This might be one of those times,” he said. “The question then becomes ‘is there a bipartisan solution?”
It might also come down to the question of how to prevent governors from overstepping or skirting federal law, as well as how to prevent presidential administrations from wading into state law, Aughenbaugh suspects.
The debacle playing out on the national stage might prompt Virginia legislators to ask, “Did the Youngkin administration too broadly interpret the law? Do we want to rein-in gubernatorial administrations in the future?” Aughenbaugh posited. “Meanwhile, how do you revise the law so that future presidential administrations don’t single out a state for lawsuits two weeks before Election Day?”
Rouse said there’s valid reasons for those types of deliberations.
“It’s more of a bigger picture with Governor Youngkin in terms of inciting fear and undermining our elections,” Rouse said of conversations he’s having with his fellow lawmakers. “We understand that this administration has been known to make mistakes.”
Rouse pointed to how the administration pulled out of ERIC, a multi-state data-sharing coalition meant to maintain voter roll accuracy — and how he vetoed legislation prompting Virginia’s return to it this year, along with other voting-related bills. The administration also mistakenly canceled over 3,000 people’s registrations last year, Rouse said.
Can same-day voter registration and provisional ballots fix it?
Regardless of whether eligible voters were caught up in the recent purge or runs into other election-access issues, registrars have said that use of same-day registration and provisional ballots are an option that would allow them to vote on Election Day. Provisional ballots require follow-up after voting to verify a person’s address, citizenship status or other factors.
It’s an argument Republican national and state leadership is making as a reason Youngkin’s order and the subsequent voter purges should stand.
“Even if a person entitled to vote were erroneously removed from the voter rolls and unable to respond to the Commonwealth’s outreach, they may still take advantage of same-day registration and cast a ballot,” the state’s request to the Supreme Court stated. “No legal voters could or would be disenfranchised.”
Aughenbaugh doubts the nation’s highest court will grant Virginia’s request so close to the elections and suspects people who have been purged may not have to resort to provisional ballots this year.
“I don’t think there are enough (Supreme Court) justices that have the appetite to wade into that dispute less than a week before elections,” he said.
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Virginia
Former Virginia student Christopher Darnell Jones Jr pleads guilty in deadly shooting of three football stars
Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a former University of Virginia student, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder this week in the shooting deaths of three UVA football players..
Jones’ plea comes after the 2022 on-campus slayings of Lavel Davis Jr., D’Sean Perry and Devin Chandler. All three young men played for the UVA Cavaliers football team. A fourth team member, Mike Hollins, and another student, Marlee Morgan, suffered injuries.
Jones’ stint on the football team overlapped with the players he shot, per information in the draft copy of the prosecutors’ summary, but there is no indication Jones and the players had a relationship.
Jones faced three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated malicious wounding and five counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. A sentencing hearing has been set for Feb. 4 and is expected to last for four days.
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Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a former University of Virginia student, entered a guilty plea this week in relation to the shooting deaths of three university football team members. (AP Newsroom/IMAGN)
While riding back to campus from a school trip on a charter bus in the hours before the shooting, Jones texted an adult mentor, stating, “tonight I’m either going to hell or jail. I’m sorry,” according to a summary that prosecutors read in court on Wednesday. The Associated Press obtained a draft copy of the summary.
UVA TO PAY $9 MILLION TO FAMILIES OF VICTIMS IN 2022 SHOOTING THAT KILLED 3 FOOTBALL PLAYERS, WOUNDED 2 OTHERS
Jones had been scheduled to stand trial in January on charges including aggravated murder, which carries a mandatory sentence of life without parole in Virginia. The first-degree murder charges he pleaded guilty to in a plea agreement with prosecutors carry a sentence of 20 years to life.
Authorities said Jones opened fire aboard a charter bus as he and other students arrived back on campus after seeing a play and having dinner together in Washington, D.C.
University of Virginia football players Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and DSean Perry. (University of Virginia athletics)
The shooting erupted near a parking garage and prompted a 12-hour lockdown of the Charlottesville campus until the suspect was captured. Many at the school of some 23,000 students huddled inside closets and darkened dorm rooms, while others barricaded the doors of the university’s stately academic buildings.
During the rampage, Jones “methodically checked each seat until he reached the back of the bus” to shoot some of his victims, the summary said.
Authorities have yet to release details on the motive in the shooting by Jones.
University of Virginia students participate in a vigil in response to shootings on the Charlottesville campus, Nov. 14, 2022. (Mike Kropf/The Daily Progress via AP)
The university’s president, Jim Ryan, said Jones’ guilty plea represents “another step in a lengthy and painful journey for the families of the victims and for our community.”
“We continue to grieve the loss of three beloved members of our community and the injuries suffered by others on the bus,” Ryan’s statement added.
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Within days of the shooting, university leaders asked for an outside review to investigate the school’s safety policies and procedures, its response to the violence and its prior efforts to assess the potential threat of the student charged. School officials acknowledged Jones previously was on the radar of the university’s threat-assessment team.
In June, Kimberly Wald, a lawyer representing some of the victims and their families, announced that the university agreed to pay $9 million in a settlement. Wald said the university should have removed Jones from campus before the attack because he displayed multiple red flags through erratic and unstable behavior.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Virginia
S&P upgrades Petersburg’s bond rating to AA-, reflecting financial resurgence • Virginia Mercury
S&P Global Ratings has upgraded the city of Petersburg’s general obligation (GO) bond rating to AA- from A+, a move that highlights the city’s strengthened financial health and steady progress toward fiscal stability. The upgrade underscores Petersburg’s success in building reserves, improving liquidity, and achieving a secure financial position after years of turmoil.
Petersburg’s GO bonds are backed by the city’s full faith and credit pledge, affirming its reliability to meet debt obligations. The proceeds from the city’s 2024 GO bond issuance are set to fund several critical projects, including a new courthouse facility, the renovation of a police station, the construction of an animal care center and $1.3 million to refinance older bonds for net savings.
City Manager March Altman said in a statement that the upgraded bond rating reflects continued growth and economic recovery.
“Petersburg has a fund balance of approximately $50 million, which gives it the flexibility to move forward with needed capital projects,” Altman said. “I commend the city council and Petersburg’s Department of Finance for making decisions based on sound fiscal management and best practices.”
The enhanced credit rating not only reflects Petersburg’s financial stability but also unlocks key advantages, including lower interest rates, greater borrowing capacity for vital projects, expanded economic development opportunities, and increased appeal to potential investors.
It further signals to investors that the city’s creditworthiness has improved, potentially reducing borrowing costs for future projects. It also highlights the city’s steady recovery from a financial crisis that left it on the brink of insolvency less than a decade ago.
Petersburg’s financial woes reached a breaking point in 2016, when the city faced a staggering $7.7 million deficit, unpaid bills piling up to $18 million, and critical services at risk of interruption. Poor fiscal oversight, structural deficits and mismanagement led to the crisis, which garnered statewide attention. At the time, the city teetered on the verge of state intervention.
To address the dire situation, Petersburg implemented aggressive reforms, including staff reductions, tighter spending controls and measures to increase revenue. The city also partnered with outside financial advisors to help restore fiscal discipline.
By 2019, Petersburg reported a budget surplus for the first time in years and began rebuilding its financial reserves. The turnaround has since been bolstered by sustained economic growth, improved tax collection efforts, and successful community partnerships.
Mayor Sam Parham said that the city’s goal is to achieve a firm AAA rating.
“With the growth of the Pharmaceutical Campus, the recent approval of the Destination Resort Casino, and the many other economic development and tourism projects, the city is positioned to continue to grow its tax base and fund balance while addressing much-needed capital projects,” Parham said.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
1. Tobi Lawal
In the first half, Tobi Lawal helped lead the Hokies in scoring, finishing the first half with 12 points. In the second half, Lawal scored two more points but finished with five turnovers which ended up being costly in the teams shortcomings down the stretch of this game.
2. Mylyjael Poteat
Mylyjael Poteat played well in the first half, leading the team in rebounding and was the second leading scorer. In the second half, Poteat and the rest of the team slowed down and got cold, leading to a blown 11 point lead in the second half. Poteat finished the game with a team high 15 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.
3. Team Efficiency
Virginia Tech struggled with getting the ball in the basket tonight, and it was very evident as the Hokies shot 41% from the floor, 33% from three, and 60% from the free throw line. The team has struggled with shooting the ball the last few games, which has seen them lose both by double-digits against stronger opponents.
4. Defense
The Hokies defense struggled tonight against Jacksonville, and it really showed in the second half as the Hokies blew a double digit lead. Part of the reason for this is because of the Dolphins ball movement compared to the more ball dominant first half that they had. The Dolphins shot 51% for the evening, and won the points in the paint battle 44-32.
5. Free Throws
The Hokies missed out on opportunities many free throw scoring opportunities throughout this game, and it became very evident in the second half. For the game, the Hokies shot 12-20 from the free throw line compared to the Dolphins eight free throws where they shot 62% so one could say with more made free throws, the Hokies win this game as they got more attempts at the line than Jacksonville.
Additional Links:
Virginia Tech Basketball: 5 Takeaways From Hokies Loss to Penn State
Virginia Tech Women’s Basketball: Instant Takeaways From Hokies Win Over Rutgers
Virginia Tech Women’s Basketball: 5 Takeaways From Virginia Tech’s Win Over Coppin State
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