DOJ accuses Virginia of purging voters too close to election

• The law prevents states from removing voters from the active rolls less than 90 days before an election, during a Quiet Period to prevent last-minute mistakes.
• "By cancelling voter registrations within 90 days of Election Day, Virginia places qualified voters in jeopardy of being removed from the rolls and creates the risk of confusion for the electorate," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, said in a statement.

State of play: Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) signed an executive order in August requiring daily updates to state voter lists to remove ineligible voters.

• But the DOJ alleged in the complaint that the program violates the Quiet Period required by the National Voter Registration Act and that the move has "likely confused, deterred, and removed U.S. citizens who are fully eligible to vote."
• The Justice Department filed the lawsuit against the State of Virginia, Virginia State Board of Elections and Virginia Commissioner of Elections.

The other side: Youngkin called the lawsuit "unprecedented" in a statement Friday, saying he "appropriately" enforced the law.

• "Virginians - and Americans - will see this for exactly what it is: a desperate attempt to attack the legitimacy of the elections in the Commonwealth, the very crucible of American Democracy," the governor said.
• "Virginia's election will be secure and fair, and I will not stand idly by as this politically motivated action tries to interfere in our elections, period," he added.

Go deeper: Virginia is the latest state to face accusations of illegally purging voters