Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has issued an executive order to require all votes for the upcoming November election be cast with a paper ballot.
Executive Order 35, signed on Wednesday, codifies the election security procedures put into place during Youngkin’s administration.
The order outlines several election integrity requirements, including a “documented chain of custody” wherein ballots will be tracked through “every step of the process,” and that no voting machines will be used — just paper ballot-counting machines that are not connected to the internet.
EO 35 also instructs the state’s Department of Elections to remove “non-citizens who may have purposefully or accidentally registered to vote.”
Between January 2022 and July 2024, the Youngkin administration’s records revealed that over 6,300 non-citizens were removed from the voter rolls.
Election officials also found and removed 79,867 deceased individuals from the voter rolls as well as registered voters who had moved out of state.
“The Virginia model for Election Security works. This isn’t a Democrat or Republican issue, it’s an American and Virginian issue,” the governor said in a statement.
“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,” Youngkin continued.
He went on to describe the process by which paper ballots are counted and verified:
We use 100 percent paper ballots with a strict chain of custody. 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 non-citizens that have accidentally or maliciously attempted to register.
During a later appearance on Fox News, the governor said, “Call me crazy, but I think American elections should be decided by American citizens and Virginia elections should be decided by Virginians.”
Call me crazy, but I think American elections should be decided by American citizens, and Virginia elections should be decided by Virginians. pic.twitter.com/JMVhqmqB1D
— Glenn Youngkin (@GlennYoungkin) August 8, 2024
Former President Donald Trump praised Youngkin’s executive order in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, writing:
The beautiful Commonwealth of Virginia, superbly led by Governor Glenn Youngkin, IS TAKING A STRONG LEAD IN SECURING THE ELECTION IN NOVEMBER — PROTECTING EVERY LEGAL VOTE AND KEEPING ILLEGAL ALIENS THAT HAVE BEEN LET INTO OUR COUNTRY FROM VOTING.
All votes will be on paper ballots and counted safely and fairly, not by machines connected to the internet — A big security risk. We must work hard to make sure the Election is FAIR and SECURE!!! EVERY STATE SHOULD FOLLOW VIRGINIA’S LEAD. We need volunteers to watch the polls – So important.
Trump concluded, “The Election on November 5th will be the MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION IN OUR COUNTRY’S HISTORY. Thank you Glenn, GREAT JOB!!!”