Virginia Republican officials have made an appeal to the US Supreme Court to allow the state to proceed with a program aimed at removing suspected noncitizens from the voter rolls. This case has gained political significance as it is one of the first major voting-related cases to reach the high court just before the upcoming presidential election.
The appeal is being closely watched as former President Donald Trump and other Republicans have used it to push a narrative of widespread illegal voting. Despite the attention it has garnered, the number of voters affected by this program is relatively small. Virginia has consistently supported Democratic presidential candidates in recent elections, so the outcome of this case is not expected to impact the current contest between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Several election-related lawsuits have already made their way to the Supreme Court, with more expected to follow in the days leading up to the November 5 election. Trump has taken to social media to highlight this particular case, even going as far as to label a lower court's ruling against the program as 'election interference'.
The Supreme Court is anticipated to make a decision on this emergency appeal in the near future. Virginia officials have requested the high court to act swiftly, ideally by Tuesday, to address this matter.
