Youngkin issues executive order to strengthen election security

(The Center Square) – An executive order has been issued to codify Virginia's “election security procedures” implemented by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

The governor issued Executive Order 35 on Wednesday to “protect legal voters and accurate counts,” which includes “stringent ballot security, complete and thorough counting machine testing,” and “best-in-the-nation voter list maintenance.”

Youngkin touted the commonwealth’s election integrity, reaffirming the need for every “legal” vote to be counted.

“The Virginia model for election security works," Youngkin said. "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. In Virginia, we don’t play games and our model for election security is working.”

The governor outlined how votes are tabulated, reiterating his commitment to ballot security as Virginia moves back into the spotlight as a potential battleground in November’s presidential election.

“We use 100% paper ballots with a strict chain of custody," the governor said. "We use counting machines, not voting machines, that are tested prior to every election and never connected to the internet. We do not mass mail ballots. We monitor our drop boxes 24/7.

“We verify the legal presence and identity of voters using DMV data and other trusted data sources to update our voter rolls daily, not only adding new voters, but scrubbing the lists to remove those that should not be on it, like the deceased, individuals that have moved, and noncitizens that have accidentally or maliciously attempted to register.”

Youngkin’s office indicated over the last two years that nearly 80,000 deceased voters were removed from voter rolls via a “comprehensive audit” by conducting multiple National Change of Address mailings, which resulted in the removal of the deceased voters.

In addition, between January 2022 and July 2024, 6,303 noncitizens were removed from the voter rolls, according to the executive order .

The commonwealth is only one of three states in the country that require individuals to provide their full nine-digit Social Security number to register for voting. Youngkin’s office added that over 90% of commonwealth voters electronically register to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles ELECT.

The DMV “requires applicants to submit proof of identity and legal presence for those that do not yet hold a valid Virginia credential.”

“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 Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database and the Social Security Administration database,” according to the governor’s office.

In addition, the order directs the commissioner of the Department of Elections to certify in writing annually that election security improvements are in place. Lastly, it also “outlines the procedures in place for noncitizens who attempt to violate the law and register to vote," including referral to commonwealth attorney offices and the Office of the Attorney General.