Richmond, Va. (Newsradiowrva.com) - After weeks of controversy, the State Elections Department has revealed that approximately 3,400 voters were mistakenly taken off of the rolls ahead of this year's General Assembly elections. The department had not previously quantified how many voters were impacted. The issue arose when probation violations ended up being misclassified as disqualifying felonies.
The department also adds that about 100 still need to be restored, less than two weeks out from Election Day. The ACLU has been pursuing more transparency on the issue, saying some people may end up being denied their constitutional rights. State Police have since changed what data their forward to Elections, after consulting the Attorney General's office.
All 140 seats in the General Assembly are up for election this year, and margins are expected to be tight over who gets control. Currently Republicans have a majority in the House of Delegates, and Democrats have a majority in the State Senate.
