Richmond, VA – Today, the Youngkin administration officially withdrew Virginia from the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) – a system designed to prevent voter fraud – without a replacement.

Youngkin’s administration announced in May that they would cave to far-right conspiracy theorists and remove Virginia from the group, of which Virginia was a founding member under former Republican governor Bob McDonnell.

ERIC has been the target of a far-right disinformation campaign in recent months, as MAGA Republicans launch baseless, conflicting, and inaccurate attacks against an election security tool with broad bipartisan support. 

After today’s official exit from the interstate agreement, DPVA’s Voter Protection Director, Aaron Mukerjee, released the following statement:

“Put simply, this is the MAGA plan for Virginia: make it harder to vote and easier to cheat. Virginia was a founding member of ERIC under Republican Governor Bob McDonnell. It’s a bipartisan system that’s made our elections more secure and more accessible. 

The Youngkin administration’s decision to pull out of this system is inexcusable, undermines election security, and underscores that the right to vote is on the ballot this November. As MAGA Republicans continue to embrace conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 election, Virginia Democrats will always fight for accessible voting and secure elections.”

###