The NAACP has taken aim at Virginia’s election authorities, accusing them of quietly suppressing student voters through what it calls needless and discriminatory paperwork hurdles.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Richmond, alleges that the state’s election officials have been rejecting college students’ voter registration applications if they fail to include details such as dormitory names, room numbers, or campus mailbox addresses — information the NAACP says is immaterial and illegal to demand.
According to the complaint, students at several campuses — including historically Black institutions like Norfolk State University, Virginia State University, and Hampton University — have been most affected by the practice.
“This is a clear attempt to rob students of their right to vote in the state where they study and may one day build their futures,” said a representative for the NAACP, calling the policy “discriminatory, unlawful, and wholly unnecessary.”
The civil rights group argues that Virginia’s rules violate both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the U.S. Constitution’s First and Fourteenth Amendments, which protect against arbitrary barriers to voting. Notably, Virginia’s own voter registration form does not require the information being used to reject student applications.
The case arrives just as Virginians prepare to elect a new governor and other state leaders — a high-stakes political test for both major parties ahead of next year’s national contests.
The NAACP’s legal offensive in Virginia mirrors its recent challenges across the country, including in Texas and Missouri, where it has fought against redistricting maps and voting restrictions it says diminish the voices of Black and young voters.
Advocates warn that the impact in Virginia could be profound. “Thousands of young voters across college campuses are eager to participate,” said a spokesperson for the Advancement Project, a co-plaintiff in the suit. “Yet, Virginia’s policies are shutting the door on them before they can even step into the voting booth.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court is weighing another pivotal case that could redefine the future of the Voting Rights Act — a reminder that the fight over who gets to vote, and how easily, is far from settled.
