Governor Youngkin directs state coordination with DHS to ‘enhance security’ of Virginia’s elections

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Ahead of the 2025 Virginia gubernatorial election, Governor Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order on Friday directing the Virginia Department of Elections to coordinate with federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to "ensure the accuracy of Virginia voter rolls."

The executive order was issued on Friday, Sept. 12, and reportedly implements steps to ensure the accuracy of voter rolls in the Commonwealth by "modernizing and tightening voting system standards and ensuring cohesive cooperation with state and federal agencies."

The order directs the Virginia Commissioner and the Virginia Department of Elections to "strengthen election security and integrity" by coordinating with federal agencies, including DHS, which is tasked with enforcing immigration, among other duties, and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, an independent, bipartisan commission.

A spokesperson for Youngkin said this coordination will ensure that ineligible voters are removed from the rolls in compliance with state and federal law.

The order also requires DHS's SAVE database to continue to be used and expanded to identify non-citizens, as well as participation in federal technology evaluation programs and the adoption of updated federal voting system guidelines into the state's certification standards, "while ensuring they remain stricter than federal requirements."

The SAVE database allows government agencies to verify the immigration status and naturalized/acquired U.S. citizenship of applicants seeking benefits or licenses.

The order also requires that the Virginia Fusion Center, a collaboration between state and federal agencies, and the Department of Emergency Management hold a statewide election preparedness exercise before early voting begins to "test coordination, response plans and communication across agencies."

Data from the Virginia Department of Elections shows that in 2024, there were 30 online complaints of voter fraud made to the department. There were a total of 197 voter fraud complaints made online from 2020 through 2024.

There were more complaints of voter intimidation -- at 213 -- than voter fraud over those five years.

Complaints of voter fraud are not considered verified instances of voter fraud.

Youngkin's issuance of the executive order follows a previous order in 2024 regarding "election security," which reportedly resulted in more than 1,600 Virginians' voter registrations being canceled, prompting the filing of several lawsuits and further court proceedings.

The order also follows years of unproven claims from President Donald Trump regarding widespread voter fraud involving mail-in ballots. He repeatedly described that his 2020 election defeat was "rigged," connecting the claim to a larger number of mail-in ballots that were allowed during the COVID-19 pandemic.