President Donald Trump and his election security efforts were a central target in Virginia Democratic Attorney General Jay Jones’ rollout of a “Voter Protection” unit, but Republican critics say the announcement overlooked voting- rights controversies unfolding in his own backyard.
Jones formed the Voter Protection Section on Tuesday to enforce state voting-rights laws as Virginia faces scrutiny over restoration letters sent to deceased felons amid Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s restoration of voting rights to more than 66,000 Virginians.
Jones “launched this section to address the continued erosion of the federal Voting Rights Act, Donald Trump’s relentless attacks on our democracy, and his administration’s efforts to impede access to the ballot,” his office said in a statement.
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Jones’ announcement did not identify specific Trump administration actions, but the president signed a March 2025 order seeking stricter proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration and changes to mail-ballot rules and backed the SAVE Act to mandate voter ID.
“At a time when the Trump administration has sought to push the federal government further into the administration of state elections, we will work closely with the Department of Elections and the Federal Accountability Unit to protect Virginia’s authority, the integrity of our elections, and every eligible voter’s right to be heard,” said Ajay Saini, the OAG official Jones named to lead the division.
However, critics quickly faulted the unit for overlooking controversies within Virginia’s own government after the felon rights-restoration scandal broke earlier this month.
“‘Two Bullets’ Jay Jones is now worried about ‘misinformation’ after just this year telling Virginians that Democrats’ illegal gerrymandering power grab was about ‘fairness’,” the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) said in a statement, referencing Jones’ previous reported text messages envisioning shooting a prior GOP House speaker twice instead of former German Chancellor Adolf Hitler or Cambodian dictator Pol Pot.
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“The top priority for this new division should be finding out how many dead felons have had their rights restored, and how that happened in the first place,” current Virginia House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Gate City, told Fox News Digital.
Several Virginians reported receiving restoration notices addressed to deceased relatives. Fredericksburg resident Howard Lambert confirmed to Fox News Digital a letter addressed to his late daughter indicated officials had reviewed her case before restoring her rights.
Kim Taylor, a former Republican delegate from the Petersburg area, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that Jones’ pledge to protect Virginians’ votes ignores his silence on both the “dead felons” scandal and a Democrat-supported November ballot measure that would take restoration rights away from the governor and automatically empower formerly incarcerated felons to vote.
“Jay Jones can create all the fancy new ‘voter protection’ units he wants to make himself feel better, but it’s nothing more than an empty political gesture when Richmond is mailing voting rights restoration letters to dead felons,” Taylor said.
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“With three critical constitutional amendments on the ballot, including one fundamentally changing felon voting rights, Virginians need real election integrity instead of another taxpayer-funded political stunt.”
When pressed on those issues and on Republicans’ claims that the SAVE Act provides protections itself, a spokesperson for Jones declined to elaborate beyond an initial statement:
“I was raised by people who understood that the right to vote was never simply given. Generations of Americans had to sacrifice, organize, and show extraordinary courage to claim that right,” Jones said. “That history is personal to me, and it reminds us that the work of civil rights and voting rights is never finished.”
“That is why we created a dedicated Voter Protection Section within the Office of the Attorney General. This work now has a permanent home, and a team focused every day on defending voting rights and enforcing Virginia law,” he added, calling protection of voting rights a “year-round” responsibility.
Virginia Beach attorney Tim Anderson, who has focused on Richmond’s legal maneuvers regarding both immigration enforcement and voting rights, said Tuesday that Jones’ plan raises a separate question about enforcement against noncitizens who vote illegally amid Virginia’s restricted cooperation with DHS.
Anderson previously discussed the dead-felons case with Fox News Digital and noted Tuesday that Gov. Abigail Spanberger previously restricted ICE’s use of public property, including through guidance involving encounters at polls.
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“Now Attorney General Jay Jones says his office will enforce Virginia’s election laws. Then answer this, Attorney General: Does that include prosecuting noncitizens who knowingly vote illegally—with the same enthusiasm you bring to protecting access to the polls? We know this is a big fat ‘No’. Enforce the whole law,” he said.
The Democratic Party of Virginia, however, backed Jones’ new unit, arguing that Trump is “attacking voting rights [and] Virginia is not backing down,” as election security remains a prominent issue heading into the midterms.
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