NORFOLK, Va. — Just over a week before Election Day, Virginia election officials are processing over 149,000 voter registration records that sat in limbo due to a technical error.
The error resulted in records changes, made between May and September of 2022 at Virginia DMV locations, not populating on the system that local general registrars use to process, the Virginia Department of Elections (Virginia ELECT) said Monday.
This included address updates, new registrations and other changes.
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This issue hasn't kept anyone from voting though, because people are able to update their information at the polls, thanks to Virginia's same-day voter registration law.
The 149,000 records have been sent to Virginia's 133 general registrars, who will process them as quickly as possible, according to the department.
Each record will be processed individually to ensure compliance with Virginia's state law.
Officials singled out the problem after voters showed up to vote and realized their information had not been updated. In each of those cases, the voter could update their info at their voting location.
The department said the issue is directly related to a previously reported problem with the statewide voter registration system, something that a spokesperson for Gov. Glenn Youngkin echoed.
"These issues with DMV voter registrations are not new, and the department is moving forward to replace our voter registration system to prevent future issues," Youngkin spokesperson Macaulay Porter wrote.
ELECT has vowed to replace the Virginia Election and Registration Information System (VERIS), the current, fifteen-year-old system implemented in 2007.
On Oct. 24, the department announced a contract for The Canton Group, a business technology company, to modernize the state's elections systems, which is expected to be implemented by February 2025.
The department said a new voter registration system would improve technology and security, as well as streamline systems for voters and election officials.
Porter added that anyone with questions or concerns can reach out to ELECT directly so that they can vote in the coming days. That's available online at ELECT's website or by calling 804-864-8901 and dialing 0.
