In a broad new executive order that former President Donald Trump praised, GOP Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has mandated that all ballots for the 2024 presidential election must be on paper.
On Wednesday, Youngkin took a crucial step by issuing Executive Order 35, which solidifies the election security protocols implemented under his administration for all forthcoming elections, local Fox5 reported.
Virginia is a purplish state that has gone for Democratic presidential candidates in recent cycles, but voters elected Youngkin, a Republican, in 2022 along with fellow Republicans Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and state Attorney General Jason Miyares.
“The Virginia model for Election Security works. This isn’t a Democrat or Republican issue, it’s an American and Virginian issue,” Youngkin said in an announcement. “Every legal vote deserves to be counted without being watered down by illegal votes or inaccurate machines. In Virginia, we don’t play games and our model for election security is working.”
One of the key aspects of the new security protocol is the mandatory use of paper ballots, which include a traceable chain of custody and provides a more reliable record of votes cast compared to commonly used electronic voting machines, the outlet reported. Other components of Virginia’s voting security measures include utilizing DMV data for voter identity verification, offline ballot-counting machines, and more.
“We use 100% paper ballots with a strict chain of custody. We use counting machines, not voting machines, that are tested prior to every election and never connected to the internet. We do not mass mail ballots. We monitor our drop boxes 24/7,” Young said.
The governor added, “We verify the legal presence and identity of voters using DMV data and other trusted data sources to update our voter rolls daily, not only adding new voters, but scrubbing the lists to remove those that should not be on it, like the deceased, individuals that have moved, and non-citizens that have accidentally or maliciously attempted to register.”
Trump applauded the order in a Truth Social post this week, writing that Virginia is “taking a strong lead in securing the election in November.”
“The beautiful Commonwealth of Virginia, superbly led by Governor Glenn Youngkin, IS TAKING A STRONG LEAD IN SECURING THE ELECTION IN NOVEMBER — PROTECTING EVERY LEGAL VOTE AND KEEPING ILLEGAL ALIENS THAT HAVE BEEN LET INTO OUR COUNTRY FROM VOTING. All votes will be on paper ballots and counted safely and fairly, not by machines connected to the internet — A big security risk.”
“We must work hard to make sure the Election is FAIR and SECURE!!! EVERY STATE SHOULD FOLLOW VIRGINIA’S LEAD,” Trump continued. “We need volunteers to watch the polls – So important. The Election on November 5th will be the MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION IN OUR COUNTRY’S HISTORY. Thank you Glenn, GREAT JOB.
Requiring paper ballot backups for electronic voting machines (82% favor this),
Requiring people to show government-issued photo identification to vote (81%),
Making early voting available for two weeks prior to Election Day (76%),
Making Election Day a national holiday (72%) and
Allowing convicted felons to vote after serving their sentences (69%).
“More than eight-in-ten Republicans and those who lean to the Republican Party (85%), and a similar share of Democrats and Democratic leaners (82%), favor paper ballot backups for electronic voting machines,” Pew reported.
“While there is substantial support in both parties for requiring a photo ID to vote, there is a sizable partisan divide in these views: Nearly all Republicans (95%), compared with 69% of Democrats, favor this requirement,” the polling and research group added in its report.
