A federal judge has approved a settlement agreement between the NAACP Virginia State Conference and the state of Virginia that will make it easier for college students to register to vote and ensure fewer of their registration applications are rejected.
A federal judge has approved a settlement agreement between the NAACP Virginia State Conference and the Virginia State Board of Elections that will make it easier for college students to register to vote and ensure fewer of their registration applications are rejected.
The agreement represents a major victory both for students and voting access more broadly in the Old Dominion.
In November, the Virginia NAACP filed a lawsuit accusing state election officials of unlawfully rejecting college students’ voter registrations. The civil rights organization said the students’ applications were often denied for missing address information — such as a dorm name or room number — that students aren’t required to include.
After initially fighting the lawsuit, the state eventually came to an agreement with the plaintiffs. Now, Virginia officials cannot reject applications solely for missing a campus mailing address, dorm room number or campus mailbox number.
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