Plaintiffs’ core claims proceed and the case moves to discovery.

Alexandria, VA (August 14, 2025) — In a major win for voting rights and the rule of law, Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, largely denied the defendants’ motion to dismiss in Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights (VACIR) v. Beals. The ruling keeps plaintiffs’ central claims intact and clears the way for discovery.

Filed by the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, African Communities Together, and the League of Women Voters of Virginia, the lawsuit alleges that a state program that uses government records to flag supposed non-citizens for removal from the voter rolls is actually removing eligible citizens in violation of federal law. Plaintiffs assert this program violates the National Voter Registration Act and risks disenfranchising eligible voters, particularly naturalized citizens.

“All Virginia citizens have the same sacred right to vote, regardless of whether they were born here or naturalized,” said Monica Sarmiento, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights. “Virginia continues to remove eligible voters from the rolls through this illegal purge, and this must be stopped.”

“This ruling ensures the League can continue its fight to ensure thousands of Virginians—many of them naturalized citizens—will not be wrongfully silenced in upcoming elections,” said Joan Porte, president of the League of Women Voters of Virginia. “We are proud to keep seeking justice for lawfully registered voters who deserve to have their voices heard at the polls.”

“This week’s ruling in our favor is more than a legal victory-it is a beacon of hope for our community. It reminds us that the moral arc of the universe still bends toward truth and justice, but only when we have the courage to stand together and demand it. At a time when our institutions have too often failed us, this decision demonstrates that united action can push back against assaults on our rights and liberties and win. This is not the end of the fight. It is a call to keep pressing forward, to hold the state of Virginia and the country as a whole to its highest ideals, and to ensure that the promise of democracy is real for all of us,” said Solomon Ayalew, DMV Chapter Director, African Communities Together 

“This decision confirms what our clients have said from day one: Virginia cannot rely on error-prone data and rushed procedures to strip eligible citizens from the rolls,” said Anna Dorman, counsel at Protect Democracy. “The defendants’ broad attempt to end this case at the threshold largely failed. We look forward to proving our case and ensuring that Virginians’ voting rights are protected in full.”

“The court’s ruling critically affirms that the League and our co-plaintiffs are the appropriate parties to bring this case, which is key to protecting the ability of voters to challenge anti-democratic laws and policies,” said Marcia Johnson, chief of activation and justice at the League of Women Voters. “This victory is a testament to the League’s unwavering commitment to ensuring every eligible voter can participate without fear of being wrongfully removed from the rolls.”

“As this ruling affirms, the law and the facts are on our side and we will now have the chance to fully prove our case,” said Ryan Snow, counsel with the Voting Rights Project of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “Virginia cannot continue to remove countless American citizens from the rolls in violation of federal law based on DMV data it knows is faulty and out-of-date, all to perpetuate falsehoods about noncitizens voting—only American citizens vote in our elections.”

“Our democracy is strongest when every American has the freedom to vote. Voter purges, especially when done close to an election, deny qualified American citizens that essential freedom” said Danielle Lang, senior director for voting rights at Campaign Legal Center. “When Congress passed the National Voter Registration Act over 30 years ago, it ensured that Virginia and other states cannot remove registered voters within 90 days of an election and cannot discriminate in how they conduct voter roll maintenance. We are pleased to see that our case, filed with the rights of every Virginia voter in mind, is able to proceed.”

“Virginia continues to brazenly implement a flawed voter purge program, including right before elections, that has removed a disproportionately high number of new citizens and people of color from the rolls,” said Hani Mirza, Director of the Power and Democracy Program at Advancement Project. “Virginia’s actions are in clear violation of federal law. We welcome the Court’s ruling allowing our case to progress and will continue to fight to protect the right to vote for all eligible Virginia voters, including new citizen voters and voters of color.”

By rejecting most of the motion to dismiss, the Court affirmed that these claims warrant full consideration and should be resolved on the facts.

Learn more about this case here.