Virginia’s Democratic Governor Reverses Withdrawal From Multistate Voter Roll Database

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed an executive order on March 24, directing the state to begin the process of rejoining the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a nonprofit data-sharing organization whose membership included Virginia before the state withdrew in 2023. ERIC is a 26-state compact, including the District of Columbia, through which member states share voter registration and driver’s license data. The organization uses that information to identify voters who have moved across state lines, hold duplicate registrations, or are deceased, and provides the findings to member states for voter roll maintenance. Virginia was one of seven founding members when the organization launched in 2012 under then-Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican. ERIC was established as a project of the Pew Charitable Trusts and is now funded and governed by its member states. Virginia withdrew from ERIC in May 2023 under Gov. Glenn Youngkin, also a Republican....