Miyares creates "election integrity unit"

Attorney General Jason Miyares says his office has formed a 20-person "Election Integrity Unit."

Why it matters: Miyares is following in the footsteps of a growing number of GOP officials nationwide who have made election law a top focus since former President Donald Trump began making baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen.

• Critics call the issue a cover for voter intimidation efforts.

What they're saying: "I pledged during the 2021 campaign to work to increase transparency and strengthen confidence in our state elections," Miyares said in a statement. "It should be easy to vote, and hard to cheat."

Reality check: There have been no widespread issues in Virginia with voter fraud or irregularities.

• "It's not at all clear to me this is a valuable use of the government's resources," Michael D. Gilbert, a University of Virginia law professor who is an expert on voting law, told the Washington Post.

Details: Miyares' office told the Virginia Mercury the 20-member team does not have its own budget and is made up of his office's existing staff members, who will continue working on other matters.