Notably, under Executive Order 35, Youngkin directs state election officials to ensure that only paper ballots are used in Virginia and are retained for 22 months after each election. Additionally, the Commissioner of the Department of Elections is required to ensure there is a documented chain of custody for paper ballots with a daily reconciliation process during early voting. During the early voting period and on Election Day, ballots must be reconciled against the number of voters checked into the polling location, and against the number of ballots that were mailed to voters. The state is also prohibited from sending out an absentee ballot unless it has been requested by a registered voter before being mailed. Completed absentee ballots may not be counted until the last four digits of the voter’s social security number and year of birth on the envelope are matched to the voter’s record on file. Youngkin’s order ensures that all ballot tabulator machines are certified to state and federal standards, that every piece of equipment used in the voting process is tested before use, and that no ballot counting machines are connected to the internet. The executive order also underscores that election officials are required to refer non-citizens who have illegally registered to vote to the state attorney for investigation and potential prosecution. “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 a statement about the executive order. “Every legal vote deserves to be counted without being watered down by illegal votes or inaccurate machines,” he continued. “In Virginia, we don’t play games and our model for election security is working.” Former President Donald Trump endorsed the executive action, saying that Youngkin is “taking a strong lead in securing the election this November.” Virginia Democrats are viewing the governor’s directive as a political move. “Substantively he’s just enforcing laws that already exist,” State Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg wrote on X. “The EO is about politics not policy.”Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has signed an executive order to ensure security of the state’s elections.
