By Michelle Moore, Bridge2Blue
Every year Virginians walk into the polls confident that their votes will be counted. With an election every year, we know what it takes to make voting accessible to all of our citizens while running elections that are safe and secure. Our citizens step up to help protect that right as election officers and volunteers at the polls.
And while we must prepare for potential voter intimidation, do more than in previous years, and proactively defend our right to vote, we cannot fall prey to Republican and White House threats or manipulation. Our election system is strong, well-tested, and backed by officials who have consistently resisted federal efforts to undermine it.
Republicans are trying in multiple ways to undermine our elections: attempts to seize voter rolls, voter suppression legislation (SAVE America Act), adversarial congressional hearings, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) plan to deploy Federal law enforcement to voting locations, and the President’s firing of Democratic members of the nonpartisan Election Assistance Commission (EAC). These actions are designed to undermine, misinform, discredit, and weaken free and fair elections.
Virginia may be in the crosshairs, but we have the law, modern verification systems, and the resolve to safeguard our elections through service and volunteering.
Resilience to Republican Harassment
The Commonwealth has a strong record of election administration and officials ready to defend it, even amid outside attacks.
Virginia was sued for its refusal to turn over sensitive voter information to the administration and in March 2026, U.S. District Judge Roderick Young—appointed by President Trump in 2020—dismissed the case with prejudice, ending the administration’s lawsuit. A solid win for voters.
U.S. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan summoned two of our commonwealth’s attorneys for a hearing marked more by political posturing than legitimate oversight, raising unfounded claims about non-citizen voting and election integrity. Commonwealth Attorneys Steve Descano and Parisa Dehghani-Tafti defended their lawful decisions and criticized the inquiry as an overreach into state and local law enforcement.
In July, the DOJ announced it would send federal election monitors to our state’s August primaries, including Fairfax and Prince William counties, after Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon cited unspecified past election “problems” in these Democratic-majority counties. At the same time, Dhillon sent Virginia’s elections commissioner a letter — part of a nationwide DOJ warning—stating the legal consequences of knowingly allowing noncitizens to vote. Yet a review of more than 650 election-related cases in Virginia state courts over the past 20 years, during which more than 48 million votes were cast, found no convictions for illegal voting by a noncitizen.
Attempt to Undermine Election Certification
In July, President Trump fired the last two Democratic members of the EAC. And while the EAC certifies voting systems, maintains the national voter-registration form, and supports state election administration, our state can still run and certify its elections.
After the firings and the resignation of the remaining Republican member, the EAC is unable to make major decisions that require a quorum, though staff can still carry out many ongoing functions.
But importantly, states administer elections and the President’s actions are expected to have only a limited impact on November’s elections.
We Have the Power to Protect Our Right to Vote
Yes, we are under attack, but Virginia is prepared. We can directly help protect voting rights, improve election administration, and reduce partisan interference so voters—not politicians—decide who represents them.
By supporting and helping to elect a Democratic majority, Congress could block federal voter-suppression measures, investigate DOJ overreach, and pass voting-rights legislation. Even without presidential support, passing such legislation would create accountability and draw a clear contrast heading into 2028.
And here is what citizens can do:
- Flipping more Virginia House seats for Democrats helps drive a stake through congressional voter suppression and pass voting-rights protections. Vote in Virginia
- Protect elections by serving as a Virginia officer of elections or volunteering as a poll greeter. Learn more at https://vademocrats.org/localities/
- Help others who may require additional assistance to vote and know their rights at the polls.
