HARRISONBURG, Va. (ROCKTOWN NOW) – Virginia State Senator Mark Obenshain – who represents Harrisonburg and Rockingham County – issued a statement in response to Friday’s federal court ruling that orders non-citizens in Virginia to be added back onto voter rolls.

Senator Obenshain made the following comments:

This morning a federal judge ruled in favor of the Biden-Harris Department of Justice, ordering Virginia to restore to its voter rolls over 1,500 individuals who have self-identified as non-citizens and therefore not qualified to vote. This
represents a dangerous overreach and a clear effort to interfere with Virginia’s election integrity efforts. This action by the Biden-Harris administration and the resulting Order are offensive to all notions of fundamental fairness and common sense.
The policy resulting in the removal of these voters from the voter rolls has never been partisan. It arose from bipartisan legislation signed by Governor Tim Kaine, a Democrat, which required our Department of Motor Vehicles to report non-citizens who inadvertently registered to vote. The timing of this lawsuit—just days before a critical election—is but one more example of the “political weaponization” of the United States Department of Justice by the Biden-Harris Administration that has disgusted voters across the country.

US District Judge Patricia Giles granted an injunction request on Friday that was brought by the Justice Department against Virginia election officials.

Meanwhile, Governor Glenn Youngkin defended his Executive Order 35, claiming it removes non-citizens that have attempted to register to vote. Youngkin said in a statement that Virginia plans to appeal and will take it all the way to the US Supreme Court if necessary.